Kenya and Ethiopia have reached an agreement to jointly fight terror threats along their common borders. Both countries signed an agreement to start the joint operation within a month to curb the reach of Somalia’s Al-Shabaab and Ethiopia’s OLF-Shene designated terror groups.
The details of the partnership came following a meeting between Ethiopian Federal Police Commissioner, General Demelash Gebremichael, and Kenya’s Inspector General of the Kenya National Police Service Hilary Mutyambai, in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.
The two sides held discussions on security issues of mutual concerns and reiterated to boost security cooperation to fight cross-border terrorism and ensure peace and stability at their borders.
Mutyambai said Ethiopia and Kenya agreed to enhance cooperation in the exchange of information, and help them ensure cross-border peace and security.
Few months ago, OLF, the main rebel group in Ethiopia’s Oromia region, threatened to cut off a major highway that links Ethiopia to Kenya, in what could directly affect trade with Nairobi.
Last August, the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), a militia group allied with the proscribed Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), said they had mounted an offensive that could block the main highway from Moyale, the only modern border post between Kenya and Ethiopia.