Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble, a Swedish-trained civil engineer, sits after Somali members of Parliament approved his appointment in Mogadishu, Somalia, on September 23, 2020. (STRINGER / AFP)

Somalia’s government accused Kenya of arming local militia to attack its forces on the border, just days after severing diplomatic ties with its East African neighbor.

The alleged steps can “undermine general security of the Horn of Africa region,” Somalia’s Ministry of Information said in a statement posted to its Twitter account on Saturday.

The assertions are being made after Kenya said this week that it would open a consulate in Somaliland, a breakaway region that declared independence in 1991 following a civil war

Calls and text messages to the spokeswoman for Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Principal Secretary Macharia Kamau outside of normal working hours weren’t answered.

The assertions are being made after Kenya said this week that it would open a consulate in Somaliland, a breakaway region that declared independence in 1991 following a civil war. 

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 Somalia’s government ordered Kenyan diplomats to leave Mogadishu after talks with Somaliland started, a step reciprocated by officials in Nairobi.

Diplomatic relations soured last year after Kenya accused Somalia of auctioning four offshore oil blocks in a disputed area, an allegation Somalia denied.

Kenya invaded Somalia in 2011 after a spate of kidnappings by the Islamist extremist group Al-Shabaab, which had originated in Somalia. A suicide bomber killed 14 people in an attack on Friday at the city of Galkayo. The Al-Qaeda-linked group claimed responsibility, saying it was aimed at Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Roble, who was due to speak about the upcoming election.

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United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday strongly condemned the attack that took place in Galkayo, which resulted in heavy casualties.

Through a statement attributable to his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, the UN chief extended his deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to those who were injured.

He hoped that the perpetrators of this attack will be brought to justice, the statement said.

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