Kenya’s ambassador to Somalia summoned over breach of air space

Kenya’s ambassador to Somalia, Lucas Tumbo.

Somalia summoned Kenya’s ambassador, Lucas Tumbo, after a Kenyan-registered airplane landed at Kismayo airport without “official permission.”

The Minister of foreign affairs, Abdulkadir Ahmed-Kheir Abdi, on Thursday handed Mr Tumbo a letter protesting what it termed as a violation of its airspace by Kenya.

On Saturday, October 5, 2019, a Kenyan-registered Fokker 50 plane, 5Y-JXJ, carrying politicians, landed in Kismayo, the capital of Jubbaland State, without stopping over in Mogadishu as required.

In September, Somalia directed that all civilian aircraft to first stop in the capital Mogadishu before proceeding to Kismayo.

“Somalia strongly protests this violation and will not accept any encroachment on its air, sea and land borders,” read a statement from Somalia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “The federal government of Somalia sees this action contradicts all principles of good neighborliness and non-interference in the internal affairs of states.”

This comes amid a simmering maritime-border dispute between Kenya and Somalia.