Hiiraan Online
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
ISTANBUL (HOL) – Somalia’s prime minister has vowed his government would give a decisive reaction in response to the brief detention of Somali government delegates led by him by Kenyan immigration officials at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Saturday.
Speaking to HOL on the sidelines of The High Level Partnership Forum in Istanbul Monday, Mr. Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke said that he had to stay at JKA airport for hours as Somali MPs were detained after being denied of an entry to Nairobi.
“I have met Kenyan officials at the airport and they agreed to release of the detained MPs, however, they still held them for hours after I left which is a violation of the international law.” He told HOL in an interview.
The prime minister has however denied reports by Kenyan media that he was among the government officials detained by Kenyan immigration officials at the airport.
Meanwhile, Somali government has protested what it called ‘mistreatment’ meted out against its officials by Kenyan authorities, demanding a ‘full justification’ and ‘explanation’ from the Kenyan government over the incident.
Kenyan government hasn’t yet commented on the development.
However, political analysts have raised the possibility that the incident could set off a series of tit-for-tat diplomatic reprisals by the two countries which may further strain the already tasty relations between the two neighboring countries.
The two countries have embassies and diplomat in each other’s capital, in addition to citizens working in both neighboring countries.