Kenya and Somalia lay strategies for Al-Shabaab defeat

KIGALI, Rwanda - Kenya, and Somalia have discussed elaborate strategies geared toward defeating Al-Shabaab militants, a group that has caused total discomfort within East Africa for the last two decades.

At Kigali during the inauguration of President Paul Kagame, Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and his Kenyan counterpart William Ruto, noted the discomfort caused by the militants, who have repeatedly sabotaged trade between the two nations.

Regional peace and stability, they said, remain the cardinal principle for containing the militants, who have lost several strategic towns and villages in the recent past. The Al-Shabab militants are struggling to overthrow the fragile UN-backed federal government of Somalia.

"In Kigali, His Excellency President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud held a meeting with H.E. President Williams Ruto. Their discussions centered on the pressing challenges facing the region, including efforts to counter terrorism and explore further avenues of cooperation," Villa Somalia says.

"Both leaders reaffirmed the enduring Somalia-Kenya partnership and fostered the strong people-to-people relations. They expressed a mutual commitment to advancing regional peace, stability, and development, guided by shared values."

Kenya is a major security and development partner of Somalia having dispatched over 3,500 soldiers serving in the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS). The mission is on the final stretch and will change to the African Union Support Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM).

Once the mission is in place, Egypt and Djibouti are set to take charge, with Somalia casting doubts on Ethiopia. The government of Somalia is engaged in loggerheads with Ethiopia over an agreement signed recently with Somaliland over the access to sea.

Kenya is also set to open gates with Somalia after years of closure due to the Al-Shabaab threat. Mechanisms have been put in place to prevent the militants from causing further discomfort within the East African community.

GAROWE ONLINE