This came a day after the Somalia ambassador to Kenya Ahmed Nur was forced to fly back to Somalia for ‘consultation’.
Kenya’s ambassador to Somalia was also recalled in what the ministry of foreign affairs now says was to allow for consultation between the two states.
Somalia’s leaders later held a meeting in the country’s capital of Mogadishu on Sunday, February 17 , attended by President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmajo and Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khayre, where they said Kenya’s decision to expel its ambassador without consultation was regrettable.
They also denied claims that Somalia had auctioned controversial oil and gas blocks which are located in a contested Maritime border in the Indian Ocean.
“Somalia is not now offering, not does it have any plans to offer, any blocks in the disputed maritime area until the parties’ boundary is decided by the ICJ,” the statement read in part.
They also explained that the supposed auction only sold data for the benefit of companies interested in the gas and oil fields once the dispute is resolved.
On February 16, Kenya sent a strong message declaring Somalia an enemy state for auctioning for allegedly auctioning the gas and oil blocks lying within Kenya maritime territory near its border in early February.
Kenya now wants the issue be solved through negotiation after Somalia had taken the issue to the ICJ following break out in negotiation between the two states.
Pending a hearing date, Kenya lost the first round of the case to Somalia in its bid to stop the matter from heading to full hearing in February of 2017.