NAIROBI (Halbeeg News) – Kenya government has called US government to drop its bid to withdraw troops from Somalia, saying the move will deteriorate the security in Somalia.
Principal Secretary of Kenyan foreign ministry Kamau Macharia said Kenya has in the past suffered a sharp investment and economic setbacks following al-Shabaab attacks.
“Such a move is likely going to put at risk the security arrangements in place to fight terrorism and to advance the common cause of the international community,” he said.
Macharia’s statement comes after reports that President Donald Trump has informed his top advisers that he wants to withdraw US troops from Somalia.
Kenya said it continues to seek ways to transform trade and investment partnerships with the US in ways that can accelerate economic growth and have a deep impact on peace and development in Kenya and, indeed, in the East African region.
“The upcoming Free Trade Agreement with the United States holds great promise for a much more invigorated trading regime between the partner countries,” the statement reads in part.. “Nothing sends a powerful signal for growth and better trade relations than a partnership built around a stable and progressive political environment devoid of any threats, particularly those of terrorist elements such as Al Qaeda and its affiliates including, Al Shabaab.”
Macharia said a sustainable, prosperous and stable Horn of Africa open to major trade and investment can only be realized when these Al-Shabab no longer pose a military threat and after the ideological and social apparatus they command has been dismantled.
“This in turn would entail durable and predictable partnership between The United States and Kenya that would ensure that, together, they take actions to cripple the leadership of these terrorist organizations and sanction and prosecute their finances and source of funding,” he said.
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