Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mahamud was elected by parliament on September 10, 2012. He will be faced with the task of forming a new transitional government in the Horn of Africa state., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
Somali President not received at Jomo Kenyatta airport as a head of state
Posted on December 27, 2013
Kenyan officials haven’t given a presidential protocol to the visiting Somali President Hassan Sheik Mahmoud who is on an official tour to Nairobi where IGAD heads of state are meeting to try to ease the politically-motivated clan-based armed conflicts raging in South Sudan.
As usual presidents of state are received at airports by either of their counterparts, prime ministers or parliament speakers while visiting a foreign country, but the Somali president lacked the reception by neither of the high profile officials upon arrival at Jomo Kenyatta international airport on Thursday.
Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta is currently on a peace mission tour to South Sudan, but since Kenyatta is not at home it was necessary that the Nairobi government arranged a presidential protocol for the Somali leader who could have been received at airport by Kenyan parliament speaker or his deputy at the lowest, instead of sending security officers to safeguard the president and his delegation.
President Hassan Sheik Mahmoud of Somalia was welcomed at Jomo Kenyatta airport by Somalia’s ambassador to Kenya Mohamed Ali Nur, IGAD envoy to Somalia Mohamed Abdi Affey and members of the Somali community in Kenya.
Political analysts believe that with the low profile reception at airport, Kenya seems to have intentionally downgraded Somali president whose tour is mainly about negotiating peace between the government of South Sudan and rebels fighting it.
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ReplyDeleteToday Somalia is recognized in the Western World as a great country with a great people. The civil war will end soon. The President of Somalia has being received the European Parliament, the President Barack Obama, The Prime Minster of England David Cameron, and so on; Therefore, In Kenya, there was a way of promoting Mr. Mohamed Abdi Afey as a Somali-Kenyan President to attract the attention of Soamali-Kenyans. This reception gives time and honor to Mr. Mohamed Abdi Afey to talk with the President Xassan Sheykh on political problems between Kenya and Somalia and on Kismayo. This reception shows that Mr. M. Abdi Afey has the full trust of President Uhuru Kenyatta. Now in this situation Mr. M. A. Afey acts as Vice President of Kenya, because Mr. Afey knows well the Somali history in Kismayo area.
ReplyDeleteBashir Farah of Boston, MA, USA.
ReplyDeleteMaster in Political Science.
Today Somalia is recognized in the Western World as a great country with a great people. The civil war will end soon. The President of Somalia has being received the European Parliament, the President Barack Obama, The Prime Minster of England David Cameron, and so on; Therefore, In Kenya, there was a way of promoting Mr. Mohamed Abdi Afey as a Somali-Kenyan President to attract the attention of Soamali-Kenyans. This reception gives time and honor to Mr. Mohamed Abdi Afey to talk with the President Xassan Sheykh on political problems between Kenya and Somalia and on Kismayo. This reception shows that Mr. M. Abdi Afey has the full trust of President Uhuru Kenyatta. Now in this situation Mr. M. A. Afey acts as Vice President of Kenya, because Mr. Afey knows well the Somali history in Kismayo area.