Somali president meets Kenya minister amid row

Somalia's President Mohamed Abdullahi "Farmajo" Mohamed on Sunday met Kenya's interior minister security Fred Matiang'i and other officials sent by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

The meeting came just two days after the two presidents spoke on phone and agreed to work together to ensure security at the border, as well as strengthen trade and diplomatic relations.

There had been tension at the border near Mandera when Somalia forces clashed with those from the semi-autonomous state of Jubbaland inside Kenyan soil. President Kenyatta had called it a "flagrant breach" by Somalia.

Before that, Somalia accused Kenya of meddling in its internal affairs and warned it to stop its encroachment in the border areas. Kenya denied the claims as "baseless and invalid".

In a joint statement Kenya's interior ministry - along with regional body Igad, the US, UK, and the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) - said it "urgently called upon all actors to exercise restraint".

On Sunday, Mr Matiang'i said he delivered the president's message to his Somali counterpart. He tweeted this photo from the scene of what he called "constructive deliberations" in Mogadishu:

We're back from Mogadishu after delivering H.E. President Kenyatta's message to his counterpart Mohamed Farmajo on Kenya's support for Somalia's transition to lasting peace. We had constructive deliberations and consolidated our foundation for addressing our cross-border issues. pic.twitter.com/WE5IozZTkZ

— Dr. Fred Matiang'i (@FredMatiangi) March 8, 2020