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Many Somali-owned businesses, especially those in the travel industry, say they are already the hardest hit after the Somali government decided to revoke visas upon the arrival of Kenyans.
Somalia cut diplomatic ties with neighboring Kenya on Tuesday, accusing it of meddling in politics. He also withdrew his diplomats from Kenya and gave Kenyan diplomats seven days to leave Mogadishu.
In Eastleigh, a neighborhood of the capital Nairobi, popular with Somalis and Kenyans of Somali descent, there are fears that the bitter relations between the two neighbors will seriously affect their businesses.
Entrepreneur Abukar Hassan Dhakane, who has worked in the transport sector for the past 16 years, said this would have a great impact on them as a trader. “Unlike before, Kenyan citizens have to apply for visas at the Somali embassy in Nairobi, which places a huge burden on our business,” Hassan Dhakane told DW.
Dadaab refugee camp, one of the largest in the world, is home to at least 300,000 Somali refugees
Before the aftermath, Dhakane sent four cargo planes to Somalia on a daily basis. He worries about how his business will continue to survive, as diplomatic tension caused his business to decline sharply.
“Before the diplomatic breakdown, we used to send four cargo flights to Mogadishu every day, but now flights are limited to just one. We hope this ends well.”
Is Somalia ungrateful to Kenya?
Juliet Njau, a citizen of Kenya, told DW that Somalia is ungrateful for the support her country has given Somali refugees and their efforts to bring peace to Somalia.
“Kenya has hosted a large number of refugees from Somalia, mainly in Garissa County, northeastern Kenya and Kakuma refugee camp. Kenya has lost many soldiers fighting against al-Shabab Islamists.”
Kenya brings huge peacekeeping force to Somalia
However, Njau also added that “Kenya must respect the sovereignty of Somalia and stop political meddling. We are brothers and sisters, we are neighbors, so it is good that we keep this nation safe,” Njau added.
The Horn of Africa has not known peace since the fall of dictator Siad Barre in 1991.
Somalia free to chart its own destiny
Barre Ali, a Somali living in Nairobi, told DW that Somalia, being an independent country, is free to make its own decisions.
“It is the Kenyan leaders who were supposed to show patience and play a conciliatory role and help address the grievances expressed by the Somali government,” Ali said.
“In case they do not act accordingly, then the Somali government, as a sovereign nation, has every right to make that decision, and this will lead to further negotiations between the two countries.”
Ali said that even if the current leadership is replaced and a new government assumes power, the will of the Somali people for the government, the rule of law and respect for the sovereignty of their nation will remain.
Looking for reconciliation
Observers think the leaders of both countries should reduce the current tensions. They advise that both Somali and Kenyan leaders sit together and resolve their differences.
Professor Abdiwahab Abdisamad, a Kenyan academic, says, “The diplomatic gap between Kenya and Somalia requires both countries to revive previous bilateral agreements.”
Somalia President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo accuses Kenya of interference
It should be recalled that the Kenyan government, which did not comment directly on the latest reprimand on Tuesday, had withdrawn its ambassador in early 2019 after Mogadishu decided to auction off oil and gas blocks. Those severed ties were reestablished in November of last year.
On Tuesday, Kenyan Foreign Ministry spokesman Cyrus Oguna said Kenya had been “very kind” in hosting some 200,000 Somalis in refugee camps. “We have a lot of common ground between these two countries,” said Oguna.
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