Kenya to reopen border with Somalia

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The Kenyan government says it will open the border with Somalia to boost trade and allow the flow of people between the two countries. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta also pledged to help Somalia fight al-Shabaab militants and support and train government workers. His remarks came after a March 2017 meeting in Nairobi with Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed.

The borders have remained closed for the past 25 years since Somalia descended into conflict. However, people living along the borders and refugees have found a way to get into Kenya. The countries will begin by opening two border posts at Dobley-Liboi and Mandera-Bula Hawa, Kenyatta said.

“Close economic cooperation between Kenya and Somalia will not only help to improve the lives of our millions of people but will also enhance the security situation in East Africa,” Mohamed said. “Therefore, my government is ready to work very closely with your government in the realization of full economic cooperation between our two nations.”

Kenya also has agreed to train 500 Somali men and women in different economic fields, including teaching, nursing and administration, to help in their country’s recovery.

Kenya had planned to close the Dadaab refugee camp, the world’s largest, by the end of May 2017, but, in what some say might be a change of heart, Kenyatta says his government will build a training institute at the camp to educate high school graduates.

“Kenya will establish a technical training institute for youths currently in the refugee camps as well as the environs of Dadaab, and this I believe will greatly help in providing these young men and women the necessary skills they will require to develop and grow Somalia,” Kenyatta said.

TOP: Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, right, speaks during a news conference with Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed in Nairobi, Kenya. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS