Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohammed (left) with his host President
Uhuru Kenyatta (right) after addressing journalists at State House
Mombasa when the former visited him. Photo/Gideon Maundu.
NATION MEDIA GROUP
Daily Nation
Monday, April 29, 2013
President Kenyatta and his Somali counterpart Hassan Sheikh
Mohamed on Sunday agreed to fight terrorism until the Horn of Africa
nation was free of security threats.
The two Presidents who met at State House,
Mombasa, observed that terrorism and Al-Shabaab threats remained the
greatest impediment to the progress of Somalia and the region.
“All of us in the region and the international
community should focus on fighting the terrorist group to secure
Somalia’s and the region’s unity,” President Kenyatta said.
The Heads of State also called on the
Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (Igad) to hasten the
restoration of social and economic stability in Somalia.
“Igad should focus on providing technical
assistance to the Federal Republic of Somalia in implementing the
stabilisation process,” President Kenyatta said but noted that the
people of Somalia must lead the process.
Addressing the public after the closed-door
meeting, the Kenyan Head of State said his government was committed to
assist Somalia realise development and peace.
President Mohamed thanked Kenya for sending her
forces to fight the Al-Shabaab terrorists in Somalia, saying this
contributed immensely to his country’s and the region’s peace and
prosperity.
In calling for support from friends and
neighbours, Mr Mohammed said: “We must all stand firm to fight
Al-Shabaab, terrorism and extremism and to defeat them and prevent the
spread of their militant ideology in this region.”
He commended the cordial bilateral relationship
between the two states and promised to continue working more closely
with Kenya which is “more than a neighbour”.
The Somali leader urged Igad to support Somalia
put its dark past behind and revive its structures and the functionality
of its government institutions to enable her people realise their dream
of a peaceful nation.
On the issue of thousands of Somali refugees
living in Kenya, President Kenyatta promised that the government would
aid their repatriation as soon as the conditions were right back home.