Addis Ababa is very concerned about Nairobi hosting of the Ogaden National Liberation Front (OLNF) Chairman, Abdirahman Mahdi Madey and Jubbaland regional state of Somalia leader, Ahmed Mohamed Islam.
A diplomatic source has revealed to Ethiopian based online news site Addis Standard, that Kenya is facilitating the meeting of the two including financial expenses.
The agendas of the meeting which has been out of media limelight are not clear.
Jubbaland leader whose elections were rejected by the Federal Government traveled to Nairobi on Sunday before the arrival of the ONLF chair, Abdirahman Mahdi Madey later the same day.
Both were received by high-level Kenyan government officials.
Mahdi who was the Secretary-General of the group replaced the long servicing chair, Admiral Mohamed Omar Osman who stepped down after 22 years of service during the party’s 4th Congress currently in Godey earlier this month.
Both Ethiopia and Kenya have peacekeeping troops under the banner of AMISOM in Somalia but each is trying to outplay the other on the diplomatic front to have close relations with the Federal Government of Somalia.
Addis Ababa’s policy towards Mogadishu has changed since the arrival of Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed Ali in the office in 2018.
However, Somalia and Kenya are not in good terms over the disputed maritime border case that is at the Hague based International Court of Justice despite recent assurance between the two leaders in Nairobi.
