Somalia Moves to Defuse Tensions at Home and Abroad The Somali leader dropped his divisive bid to extend his term, and the country moved to mend fences with its neighbor Kenya, restoring diplomatic relations. Mogadishu in January 2020.Credit...Brian Otieno for The New York Times May 6, 2021 NAIROBI, Kenya — Days after Somalia’s president relented on plans to extend his term in office following street battles and international condemnation, his government said on Thursday that it would restore diplomatic relations with Kenya, ending a monthslong standoff that had injected an additional note of instability into an already volatile region. The Somali deputy minister of information said that Qatar had played a role in mediating between the two nations, and that the two sides would hold further talks in the near future on issues including trade and the movement of people.