Dar es Salaam (Halbeeg News) – Somalia and Kenya have agreed boost trade and security cooperation following talks between Somali Prime Minister, Hamze Abdi Barre and Kenya’s President, William Ruto in Dar es Salaam.
According to a statement by the office of the PM, the two leaders discussed the strengthening of relations and cooperation in the areas of security, trade, and traffic between the two countries.
The officials also agreed to jointly intensified the war on al-Shabaab group, which is a threat to the overall security of the region, and the re-opening of borders which is important for the flow and trade between the two countries.
The development comes barely three weeks after Kenya Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki announced the postponement of the reopening of the Kenya-Somalia border over increased terror attacks by al-Shabaab.
“The government will delay the planned phased-out reopening of the Kenya-Somalia border points to facilitate comprehensive and conclusive handling of the recent wave of terror attacks and cross-border crime,” Kindiki wrote on Twitter.
In May, Kindiki and his Somali counterpart Mohamed Ahmed Sheikh Ali announced the intent to reopen the borders after high-level consultations in Nairobi and end a 12-year barricade that began in 2011 when Kenya launched an operation to fight the influx of al-Shabaab fighters into its territory.
Al-Shabaab has been fighting for more than a decade to topple Somalia’s central government and establish its own rule based on its strict interpretation of Islamic law.
In 2011, Kenya sent troops into Somalia to combat the rebels, and it is now a major contributor of troops to an African Union peacekeeping contingent in its neighbouring country.
Discussion about this post