Monday January 20, 2025
Mogadishu (HOL) – Somali government has denied reports claiming it summoned its ambassador to Kenya, Jibril Ibrahim Abdulle after a Kenya-registered aircraft entered Somali airspace without authorization on January 18 and transported Jubbaland leader Ahmed Mohamed Islam “Madobe” to Nairobi.
In a statement posted on Twitter, the Communications Department of the Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs dismissed the reports as false.
“The news circulating on social media alleging that our ambassador to Kenya has been recalled to Mogadishu is completely baseless and should be dismissed as fake news,” the post reads.
However, VOA Somali reported that Somalia had issued a formal complaint to Kenya, expressing its disapproval of the visit by the Jubbaland leader.
The Kenya-registered aircraft reportedly transported Ahmed Madobe to Nairobi, where he is said to be meeting with Kenyan officials. The Somali government has protested the incident, highlighting ongoing tensions between the two nations.
In November 2024, Somalia’s federal government escalated its political standoff with Jubbaland by issuing an Interpol Red Notice request for the arrest of Ahmed Madobe. The Banadir Regional Court in Mogadishu authorized the notice, accusing Madobe of treason, collusion with foreign governments, and undermining Somalia’s sovereignty.
Jubbaland, a semi-autonomous region bordering Kenya and Ethiopia, re-elected Madobe for a third term as its regional president in elections held in November 2024. The federal government rejected his re-election.
