The United States is working to get the Somalia-Kenya maritime border dispute resolved through negotiations.
US Ambassador to Kenya Kyle McCarter told Daily Nation’s John Kamau in an interview that the dispute “has to be addressed quickly.”
“We have been working to get President [Mohamed Abdullahi)] Farmajo and President [Uhuru] Kenyatta to come to the discussion table. I’ve been to Mogadishu to speak to the Somalia resident. I told him to pull off the court case,” Ambassador McCarter said.
Instead, the American envoy said the two countries should join hands to defeat Al Shabaab terror group, which has intensified attacks in Kenya and Somalia.
“I’ve told them [Farmajo and Kenyatta] that the biggest hurdle is defeating al-Shabaab and that is the only way we can tap the gains on the blue economy,” he said.
He also acknowledged President Kenyatta’s efforts in pushing for negotiations, saying “we shall continue with our efforts to resolve the matter”.
On the listing of Al Shabaab as a terrorist organisation, the envoy said the US formally designated the terror group as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation in 2008.
“But we have not done it under UN Resolution 1267 the way Kenya wants, which would require us to withdraw humanitarian aid to Somalia. We believe it is not humane to withdraw humanitarian aid in Somalia. But the US has put its people to support [Amisom] bid to defeat Al Shabaab,” he said.
