<p>NAIROBI, Kenya — Somalia says it has resumed diplomatic ties with neighboring Kenya after severing relations late last year.</p>
<p>A government statement on Thursday thanked Qatar for its mediation efforts. Kenya’s presidency tweeted only that President Uhuru Kenyatta had received a “special message” from Qatar’s leader delivered by the foreign minister’s special envoy for “mediation of conflict resolution.”</p>
<p>Somalia had accused Kenya of interfering in its affairs as the Horn of Africa nation struggled with talks on how to carry out a national election — a vote that has been delayed since early February. Somalia’s President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed recently caused an uproar by approving a controversial two-year term extension. That move brought extraordinary scenes of rival groups of soldiers firing on each other in the capital, Mogadishu. The president later backed off.</p>
<p>Somalia’s federal government had accused Kenya of meddling in politics in the country’s south, where Kenya has soldiers fighting the al-Shabab extremist group.</p>
<p>Somalia’s new statement said it and Kenya were resuming ties on the basis of “non-interference in each other’s affairs.”</p>
<p>Among other issues that have caused tensions have been Kenya’s warm relationship with Somalia’s breakaway territory of Somaliland and a dispute over waters off the countries’ coastline.</p>
