Somalia threatens to stop top exports to Kenya over tiff
Mambo Matata
Even before Nairobi recovers from the blow of its ambassador being chased out of Somalia, the Horn of Africa nation is threatening to unleash a devastating trade embargo and economic sanctions to bring Kenya to her knees.
To prove once again that she is the region’s economic and political super power, Somalia is reportedly planning to exert her authority by severing trade ties with Kenya and any other country, big or small, that dares to talk to Somaliland behind her back.
According to impeachable sources, among the painful trade sanctions that Somalia plans to visit on her southern neighbour is to starve the Kenyan economy of major goods.
Experts say such a move would have a shattering effect on Kenya’s growth and stability.
The first export to Kenya that Somali is said to be planning to stop is the refugees, which is by far her biggest export to her neighbour to the south and other countries in the region.
“Mogadishu is seriously considering cutting that crucial export to bare minimum or stopping it altogether,” a source familiar with the thinking in Mogadishu told the Impeachable Sources.
Reportedly, Somalia will instead increase refugee exports to other neighbouring countries that, unlike Kenya, do not poke their noses in Mogadishu’s affairs.
Somalia also dominates refugee export markets in the US, Britain and other Western nations, meaning she is not worried at all about losing the Kenyan market.
Other than withholding exports, Somalia is also considering recalling hundreds of thousands of refugee exports already in Kenya, including those who may have somehow acquired Kenyan citizenship.
“Let’s see if your beloved Somaliland will be able to export to your country as many refugees as we have been giving to you for decades, you losers!” a Somali official blurted, when asked about Mogadishu’s plans.
Besides the effect on the economy, Kenya will lose the bragging rights as one of the biggest refugee hosts in the world, and a valued partner of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Next on Somalia’s list of trade sanctions are illegal guns and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), her second and third biggest exports to Kenya.
Those in the know say Mogadishu intends to stop the sale of small and big arms across the Kenyan border to teach the latter a lesson on how not to meddle in other people’s affairs.
This will have a huge impact on several sectors of Kenya’s economy.
With the guns from Somalia gone, the rapidly expanding cattle rustling, banditry and urban robbery sectors will grind to a screeching halt.
The terrorism sector, which has also been growing by leaps and bounds, thanks to grenades and bombs from Somalia, will also suffer greatly if the Horn of Africa nation makes good her threat to stop exports to Kenya.
As if that is not bad enough for these very important sectors, Somalia is planning to twist the knife in the wound by denying Kenya the expertise and technology needed to ensure the sectors thrive.
To achieve this, Somalia will ban Kenyan students from studying in her prestigious, Evil League universities in Mogadishu, Ras Kamboni and other centres of terror excellence.
So popular are the Somali universities that many young Kenyans have been risking life and limb to sneak into Somalia to acquire the highly sought-after skills.
The universities also attract students thirsty for blood from all over the world, including Europe and America.
“For years, Kenyan students have benefited from globally acclaimed violent extremism courses such as indoctrination, suicide bombing, mass shooting and bomb making. But that will be no more unless Nairobi stops interfering in our internal affairs,” said the Somali official quoted earlier.
By press time, Mogadishu was reportedly mulling denying desert locusts visas to fly to Kenya. – [email protected]
