Regional Somali airport refuses to allow Ethiopian plane to la

Abdiqani Hassan Reuters

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Kismayo airport in southern Somalia refused to allow an Ethiopian plane to land on Monday, a witness said, amid heightened tensions between the federal government and the regional leadership ahead of elections on Thursday.

Somalia’s central government said on Saturday it would not recognize the result of an upcoming vote to elect a president of Jubbaland, a key battleground state for counter-terrorism operations, saying the candidate selection process violated the national constitution.

The Jubbaland election commission has said the vote would go ahead on Thursday.

Security analysts say the spat has the potential to cause friction between neighboring Kenya and Ethiopia, longtime allies each with significant numbers of peacekeepers in the Horn of Africa nation.

A staff member at Kismayo airport, who gave his name as Ismail, said the plane took off from Gode in southeastern Ethiopia and eventually landed in the Somali town of Baidoa. It was not certain if the plane was civilian or military. Read More...