Somalia is threatening to re-impose a ban on miraa from Kenya in what it accuses Nairobi of disregarding an agreement to resume direct flights with Mogadishu.
Mogadishu claims it agreed to lift the ban back in September because Kenya had agreed to allow direct flights between the two cities by December 13.
Last week, officials from the Federal Government accused Kenya of remaining silent over a deal that would save Somalis the agony of having to land in Wajir for security checks before proceeding to Nairobi.
“Somalia and Kenya had an agreement to ease these restrictions because both airports in Nairobi and Mogadishu can handle security checks before anyone can board,” an official told the Sunday Nation from Mogadishu last week.
“That hasn’t happened in three months as agreed. So it means Kenya wasn’t committed at all. We will revert to the ban.”
Since 2006 when Somalia fell among the Union of Islamic Courts (which morphed into al-Shabaab), Kenya imposed a security restriction requiring all flights from the troubled country to first land in Wajir before proceeding to any other airport in Kenya. Source Daily Nation:
