Somalia’s efforts to open the country took another step forward when President William Ruto of neighbouring Kenya announced that two border crossings would be reopened in April.
Officially, Kenya’s land borders to Somalia have been closed since 2011, and there have been previous attempts to open the border.
In May 2023, the two nations agreed to a phased reopening of their common border.
Kenya reversed the decision two months later following the killing of five civilians and eight police officers near the frontier in attacks blamed on Al-Shabab, the al-Qaeda-affiliated insurgency group based in Somalia.
Separately, the 680km frontier has been disputed over a potentially oil- and gas-rich chunk of the Indian Ocean.
Somali traders welcome border opening
Mohamed Aden Ali, a trader living in Beled Hawo, a border town opposite Kenya’s Mandera, is excited at the prospect of the opening.
“It is a big move. Traders on both sides of the border depend on each other for their businesses,” he told DW.
“President Ruto said the border will open in April, but I am requesting that it be opened as soon as possible because we cannot wait any longer.”
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Ahmed Barre Diriye, a community leader in Beled Hawo, said Kenya and Somalia are connected by “trade, education, security, and social ties. It also comes at a crucial time, as both sides are facing severe drought and people need to move to access support.”
The Duchess of Edinburgh is seen during a meeting with civil society members discussing the issues around sexual and gender-based violence in Somalia at the British Embassy in Mogadishu.
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Fahmo, a businesswoman, told DW she is happy that “after 15 years of closure, the border will finally reopen. We hope traders on the other side feel the same way.”
Certainly, Ruto seemed to share these sentiments when he posted on X: “It is unacceptable that fellow Kenyans in Mandera remain cut off from their kin and neighbours in Somalia due to the prolonged closure of the Mandera border post.”
According to Somali economic analyst Ahmed Khadar, there are economic incentives for Somalia and Kenya to grow closer.
“Somalia joined the East African community and Kenya is the only country in the East African community that has a border with Somalia,” he said, adding that Kenya “can be the gateway to connecting Somalia to the other members of the East African Community”.
Tourism in Somalia
The move follows other efforts by the Somali government to increase connectivity, trade and tourism to the Horn of Africa nation.
It is rolling out online visas and visas on arrival options.
This month, Somalia joined the East African Community (EAC) passport system, after becoming a member of the bloc in 2024.
The travel document is intended to boost trade and ease of travel.
President of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, is seen during his meeting with the Duchess of Edinburgh at Villa Somalia in Mogadishu.
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The government has also touted Somalia as a tourism destination.
In Mogadishu, the capital, a group of western tourists explored the ruins of formerly grand buildings overlooking the white beaches and blue sea.
Fishing boats bobbed in the surf.
“The people are lovely, getting on with their daily life. There’s beauty. There’s destruction as well. Obviously, there are security issues. But it’s been really interesting and I’m really enjoying it so far. I’d say come and have a look,” Sherry Roberts told DW, standing near the Mogadishu Cathedral, which was badly damaged by Al-Shabab in 2008.
At a fish market, Australian Nick Benady said: “You may be very well accustomed to traveling in Africa, but Somalia is immensely different. The language is different. The culture is different, the food is different, and the people, importantly, are different. And I think some of the biggest hearts I’ve met in Africa.”
Members of Kenya defence forces are briefed moments after planting trees during the launch of the Mau Forest Complex Integrated Conservation and Livelihood Improvement Programme that was led by President William Ruto.
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At Mogadishu’s Liido Beach, tour boat operators like Aweis Ali are seeing more business.
“Recently, more tourists have been visiting and enjoying the country, and we’ve seen many of them sharing their activities on social media platforms like TikTok,” he said.
“As boat operators, we are always ready to welcome them at beach hotels and provide enjoyable boat rides.”
Years of conflict beginning in the 1990s devasted tourism in Somalia.
Mogadishu went from being known as the “Pearl of the Indian Ocean” to being dubbed one of the world’s most dangerous cities.
Kenya-Somalia security fears
Opening the border brings challenges such as logistics, monitoring and infrastructure.
Poor roads and banditry risks make traveling overland in Somalia and northern Kenya difficult.
“There should be a cooperation between the border agencies in terms of the immigration protocols,” Ahmed Khadar said, adding that the movement of people needs to be managed.
“Maybe after 10 years, there should be full normalisation of the border issues.”
But the biggest concern, and the most commonly given reason for shutting the land border in 2011, is security.
This coincided with Kenyan forces launching operations against Al-Shabab in Somalia.
For security, President Ruto said a multi‑agency security team will patrol the area, alongside plans to double police deployment.
Khadar told DW that previously, security cooperation was “very low, maybe because of weak government in Somalia, and maybe there was a time that Somalia, there were no government in Somalia”.
He added that “the security concern is not that much compared to 10 years ago or 15 years ago”.
African Union forces, consisting of a large Kenyan contingent, largely brought Somalia’s cities back under government control.
Al-Shabab is still considered a serious threat in the region, despite some analysts suggesting attacks from the militants are decreasing.
Al-Shabab launched deadly attacks in Kenya, including the Westgate shopping mall attack in Nairobi in 2013, and on a Garissa University in 2015.
In Somalia, the group has regularly targeted areas it does not control, including cities like Mogadishu and Kismayo, with deadly truck and car bombs.
