Appeal to Kenya to reopen bord

A member of Somalia's Transitional National Government (TNG) has appealed to the Kenyan government to reopen the common border, the Kenyan 'East African Standard' newspaper reported on 3 September. In his appeal made in Nairobi, Abdirahman Adan Ibbi said both Kenya and Somalia were losing more than US $800,000 every day because of the ban. The border closure was announced by Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi on 28 July, when he said the move was aimed at curbing the influx of illegal immigrants, contraband goods and the influx of small arms, the 'East African Standard' said. Ibbi, chairman of the government committee on foreign affairs and Somalis in the diaspora, called for a joint initiative between the TNG in Somalia and the Kenyan authorities to effectively police the border. He told the 'East African Standard' that the TNG was "a crawling government" unable to police the border on its own.

President Moi said after imposing the ban that he would only deal with Somalia when a working government was established in Mogadishu. Ibbi said the TNG needed the full backing of Somalia's neighbours, particularly Kenya, as it was the only way it could unite the Somali people. He also said that the TNG was ready to help Kenyan security personnel stop the inflow of guns and drugs into the country, the report said.