The government of Kenya has agreed to reopen its official border crossing with Somalia in the coming 90 days.
The border was closed in 2011 over insecurity when Kenya was launching Operation Linda Nchi to fight the influx of al shabaab activities in the country.
Its opening will improve socio-economic development in the region as security agencies in both countries promise to beef up security to prevent an influx of irregular migrants in particular the al shabab militia into the country and the smuggling of goods and individuals into both countries.
Also read: Aden Duale: I will tear down Somalia wall
The move was announced by Interior CS Prof Kithure Kindiki and his Somalia counterpart Mohamed Ahmed Sheikh after high-level inter-ministerial consultations on cross-border partnership and cooperation in Nairobi.
In a joint statement, the two Ministers said the discussions revolved around the need for sharing cross-border intelligence between the two countries and adoption of comprehensive responses that will be aided by enhancement of the capacity of law enforcement officers deployed to man the borders.
They also discussed plans to establish a modern and secure border infrastructure to facilitate and ease trade, mobility and movement.
The initiative dubbed “Deris Wanaag” in Somali, which translates to “Good Neighborliness,” is funded by the United Kingdom with the aim to find a lasting solution to the perennial insecurity and instability in the Horn of Africa region posed by the al shabaab terror group.
The project is worth over sh1.7 Billion and will run over the next 3 years to improve regional security and counter the extremism of the Islamist terror group.
On Thursday last week, the government also launched a new project to re-open its border with Ethiopia which also suffered attacks by al shabaab in June last year when fighters attacked two villages near the border.
The border closures included the Mandera border post, Lamu, Wajir and Garissa border crossings.
In August last year, the Somali government launched an all-out war against the Al shabaab prompting the government of Kenya to heighten security along the border to prevent an overflow of fleeing militants into the country.
The Borderlands area of Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia shares communities challenged by drought, resource conflicts, arms proliferation and violent extremism.
“The UK will partner with these 3 nations to collectively focus on the root causes of instability and the shared opportunities offered by an open border, including through trade and revenue generation. By driving collaboration and collective progress and building resilience, the partnership aims to mitigate the drivers of instability and violent extremism to bring peace to the region,” an earlier statement by the UK High Commission noted. BY DAILY NATION