African Union calls for dialogue between Kenya and Somalia

NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 20- The African Union has called for dialogue between Kenya and Somalia, in a bid to quell the growing tension between the two countries.

African Union Commission (AUC) chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat said Kenya and Somalia share a long history of good neighbourliness.

He cited Kenya’s contribution of troops to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and its hosting of a large population of Somali refugees as key reference points.

He was speaking during the 38^th Extra-Ordinary Summit of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Intergovermental Authority on Development (IGAD) held in Djibouti.

Also present was President Uhuru Kenyatta who was accompanied by Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Raychelle Omamo.

The meeting was convened by Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok of Sudan who is the current Chairperson of the IGAD Assembly and attended by Presidents Ismail Omar Guelleh (Djibouti), Mohamed Abdullahi (Somalia) and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia.

South Sudan and Uganda were represented by Vice President Rebecca Garang and Amb Rebecca Otengo, the country’s envoy to Djibouti respectively.

In his welcoming remarks, host President Ismail Guelleh applauded the progress made in the search for sustainable peace and stability in the region despite disruptions posed by the Covid-19 pandemic and other setbacks such as floods and the desert locust invasion.

On Ethiopia, the AUC Chairperson urged IGAD member states to assist the country in dealing with the humanitarian crisis arising out of the conflict in its Tigray region.

Speaking just before the leaders retreated into a closed-door session, Prime Minister Hamdok said the meeting was called to discuss ongoing regional peace and security processes in Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia.