There is undoubtedly a growing tension between Kenya and her neighbour Somalia that is threatening bilateral relations between the two countries.
The maritime border is proving a ticking time bomb. The situation calls for urgent action as Kenya has had god diplomatic relations with her neighbour and if the matter goes out of hand, the outcome maybe ugly.
Since last Saturday, when Kenyan authorities claimed Somalia had auctioned oil blocks in the disputed territory in the Indian Ocean, the social and mainstream media in Somalia have been awash with comments deriding “big brother” (Kenya) for alleged economic greed and for trying to bully Somalia into submission.
This perception was captured in their rage on social media, with Somalis in the diaspora kicking off campaigns under #SomaliaVsKenya.
Newspaper editorials too questioned Kenya’s interests in Somalia, with many lambasting the tone of the press statement by Kenyan Foreign Affairs ministry describing it as “undiplomatic” and “aggressive”.
“On Saturday, Kenya ‘recalled’ its ambassador from Somalia and ‘expelled’ Somalia’s ambassador over what it dubbed ‘urgent consultations’ over a maritime border row that is considered to have a vast reserve of oil and gas.
Kenya’s letter further stated in a brash tendency that Somalia had “illegally grabbed resources of Kenya”, stated an editorial in the Halbeeg Online news outlet, which suggested the opposite (grabbing of resources) “is actually the case”.
Politicians are similarly of the opinion that Nairobi is acting arrogantly on the case at hand.
On Wednesday, the President of regional state of Hirshabelle, Mohamed Abdi Warre, faulted Kenya for “her provocation” but praised the response by President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo’s administration for “responding professionally and soberly”.
Noting that governments ordinarily place interests of their countries and citizens first, governance expert Prof Amukowa Anangwe concurs that Somalia’s suspicions about Kenyans working or living in the Horn of Africa nation are not misplaced.
The dispute over the maritime border, he observes, is purely about a scramble for marine resources, especially the potential for oil discovery “as well as the changing international legal regime for protecting and balancing the common interests of nations while rejecting special interests that would be in contravention of the common good among nations in the maritime areas and the enjoyment and use of oceans”.
