Days After Qatar-Led Detente, Kenya Bans Somalia Flights

  • Three-month ban comes after Somalia intercepted Kenyan flights
  • Both countries in dispute over ownership of maritime territory
A fence surrounds a Qatar Airways Airbus plane.Photographer: Balint Porneczi/Bloomberg
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Kenya suspended flights to and from Somalia for three months, jeopardizing a detente that Qatar brokered in a bid to ease diplomatic tension between the nations.

The announcement came after Somalia’s aviation agency on Monday intercepted two Kenyan flights carrying khat, a mild narcotic stimulant. Kenyan authorities haven’t publicly said why they suspended Somalia flights. Kenya’s ban excludes planes on special medical and United Nations humanitarian missions.