NAIROBI, Kenya, May 13 — President William Ruto has explained the failed reopening of the border with Somalia blaming renewed conflict and political instability in Somalia for disrupting the process.
Speaking during an interview with France 24 on the sidelines of the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Ruto said Kenya had made significant progress toward reopening the frontier before clashes erupted between Somalia’s Federal Government and regional state forces near the Kenyan border.
“We were moving very well until there was a huge disagreement between the government in Mogadishu and the states,” Ruto said in the interview aired on Wednesday.
The President revealed that fighting between the Somali National Army and Jubaland forces near the border significantly worsened the security situation, forcing Kenya to intervene to stabilize the area.
“In fact, at that point, some of the Somali National Army were actually pushed into Kenya,” he disclosed.
“We had to support members of the Somali National Army, fly them, assist them, so that we could pacify and reduce the war.”
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Ruto said although the situation had initially improved, fresh instability and political uncertainty in Somalia later complicated efforts to reopen the border.
“That situation was getting better, but unfortunately, it took a turn, got worse,” he stated.
The Head of State further cited uncertainty surrounding Somalia’s political transition, including concerns over the expiry of parliamentary and presidential terms, as another major obstacle.
“Today, we have even a much more complicated situation because the term of the parliament there expired. The term of the president, I think, is expiring,” he said.
Regional effort
Ruto added that Kenya, together with Ethiopia and Djibouti, has been attempting to mediate between Somalia’s federal government and regional administrations, but admitted the efforts have yet to yield a breakthrough.
“We have tried to broker an engagement between the states and the government in Somalia. We have not been very successful,” he explained.
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The President confirmed that the border reopening plan remains suspended for now.
“So the border for the time being is not open,” he said.
In February, Ruto had announced that the Kenya-Somalia border would reopen in April, ending a closure that has been in place since 2011 due to security concerns linked to Al-Shabaab.
Speaking during a tour of Mandera at the time, the President said adequate security personnel would be deployed at the border to ensure the reopening did not compromise safety.
The government had planned to reopen border points in Mandera and Garissa counties to revive cross-border trade and facilitate free movement of traders between the two countries.
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Plans to reopen the border in phases in 2023 had earlier been suspended following a surge in Al-Shabaab attacks, with the government later maintaining the closure amid ongoing security operations inside Somalia.
However, Kenya partially reopened the border earlier this year to allow miraa exports ahead of the anticipated full reopening that has now stalled.
Ruto’s France24 interview, also addressed regional conflicts in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, insisting Kenya would continue playing a mediation role in efforts to restore stability across the region.
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