https://allafrica.com/stories/202012220879.html
Somalia and Kenya have had tension for a long time that is mainly rooted in their disagreement over the border into the Indian ocean and who has control over what areas. A few weeks ago Somalia blamed Kenya for meddling with Somalia’s foreign policy. Somalia ordered all their diplomats to leave Kenya and ordered all of the Kenyan diplomats to reign. On Saturday Somalia accused Kenya of mobilizing troops and arming a militia to attack a certain part of their shared border. Then on Monday, December 21st Somalia agreed to de-escalate tensions with Kenya. Somalia said their reasoning for de escalating their tensions was due to the Intergovernmental Authority on Development putting pressure on Somalia’s leadership to do so. IGAD is made up of African countries that mainly deal with the situation in Ethiopia and the tensions between Somalia and Kenya.
I think this is important because both countries play an important role in their immediate region. Somalia is extremely sought after for it’s strategic importance. It holds the Nile river; the gate to the gulf of aden and the red sea. Somalia holds lots of value to superpowers like the United States and Russia. Kenya holds lots of importance to Africa because it is the travel, trade, business, and financial hub for all of Eastern Africa. About 80% of Africa’s travel goes through Kenya which makes a huge impact on the region. The off and on conflict between the two countries could be detrimental to the economy of the area given that both countries have a lot of importance.
This could have a huge impact on the economy of Africa, and the trade that goes through that area. Kenya and Somalia hold a high amount of importance to the United States and Africa as a whole. If they were to go to war with one another the economy for the region would plummet, and some world player would have to get involved. It would also put the United States in a mediator position because they have interest in both countries.