Kenya reaffirms commitment to support Somalia

Xinhua
Sunday, April 28, 2013

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Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Saturday reaffirmed the country's willingness to support Somalia in the reconstruction process.

Speaking in Mombasa on Saturday when he held talks with visiting Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Kenyatta noted that a lot of progress has been achieved to stabilize and pacify the Horn of Africa nation under the leadership of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

He said they shared on the need to include all sectors of the State of Somalia in the establishment of governance and other important programs to stabilize the Horn of Africa country.

The two leaders agreed on the need for orderly and timely return of Somalia refugees to their motherland so that they too can be part of the reconstruction and stabilization process.

They also agreed on the imperative of inclusivity and accommodation of all communities representing the diverse Somali people in the effort to stabilize Somalia.

They reiterated the important role of IGAD and proposed that IGAD focuses on providing technical assistance and facilitation to the Somali government of Somalia in implementing the stabilization processes.

"The process must nevertheless be led by Somali people themselves in accordance with provisions of the Provisional Constitution of the Federal Republic of Somalia," leaders said.

Kenyatta and Mohamud also underscored the importance of a regional approach to managing the two neighboring countries' bilateral and regional affairs.

Noting that Al-Shabaab remains the greatest impediment to making further progress, they emphasized the need for the region and the international community to focus on fighting the militant group to secure Somalia and the region.

Kenya blames the group for a string of attacks and kidnappings in Kenya and says the kidnappings threaten tourism, a key source of revenue for the country.

Al-Shabaab has been fighting since 2008 to topple Somalia's weak central government. The group is believed to have ties to Al- Qaida.

Mohamud emphasized on the need to facilitate the establishment of local governance structures so as to maintain stability in the liberated areas and help in the coordination of humanitarian programs.

He also called on the regional states and the international community to support IGAD so as to play the role of providing technical support effectively.

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