Hiiraan Online
Tuesday, February 02, 2016
MOGADISHU (HOL) – Somalia and Kenyan sealed a cooperation agreement that would provide a framework for the promotion of ties as well as enhancing of all future engagements between the two neighboring countries.
The two countries continue to face security threats by the Al-Qaeda linked Al Shabab group which carried out multiple deadly attacks in the two countries in past few years.
The group also continues guerilla attacks against Somali government and African Union forces protecting it.
Somalia’s foreign minister Abdisalam Omer and his Kenyan counterpart Amina Mohamed signed the agreement after a meeting at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa Monday.
During their meeting, the two ministers have also re-launched a Joint Commission of Cooperation (JCC) to help boost bilateral ties between the two countries.
According to officials, the JCC is a culmination of wide ranging consultation on matters of mutual bilateral and regional interest between the two countries.
Speaking after the agreements, Mr. Omer said that the both countries that signed the agreement for the first time in in 2005 again sealed it after a review for it to tone with the current situation in the
region.
In addition, Mr. Amina highlighted the significance of the agreement, saying that the two countries were important to each other to work towards common goals.
The agreement which would have to be approved by presidents of the two countries comes at a time the neighboring states are struggling to contain a deadly insurgency by Al Shabab which despite maintaining its major base in Somalia also set up military bases in Kenyan forest from where they launch attacks against the East African nation.
Kenya sent troops into Somalia in 2011 after spate of attacks and kidnappings of tourists by suspected Al Shabab.fighters, however, the group has since stepped up attacks against Kenya in retaliation for
the deployment of its military in Somalia.