Thursday December 17, 2020
MOGADISHU (HOL) - Somalia has ordered all its embassy officials and families to vacate Kenya within five days amid an escalating diplomatic war with Kenya which has since remained mute over the tiff.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Wednesday it had instructed its all remaining staff at the embassy to leave Nairobi with immediate effect.
Its ambassador Mohamed Nur was ordered home late November followed by severance of diplomatic ties this week which in effect meant the embassy was no longer operational.
Mogadishu also ordered Kenya’s diplomatic staff on Monday to leave the country in seven days.
Meanwhile, Kenya has said it will not hit back at Somalia but will instead constitute a team to resolve the matter noting the two countries had long-running relations.
"We all know that Kenya and Somalia have a lot in common and many issues that bring us together. We have a history that unites us. We have economic and even social cohesion." There is also the issue of diplomacy and international relations that require sincere cooperation. Do good to me, and I will do good to you,” Kenya spokesman Cyrus Oguna told journalists Tuesday.
Somalia has variously accused Kenya of ‘blatant interference’ in its internal affairs and has since taken a raft of measures in response. However, opposition groups have termed it a campaign ploy by president Mohame