President Uhuru Kenyatta, on Sunday, March 8, sent Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i to Somalia to meet the country's president, Mohammed Farmajo.
This came with a backdrop of Somalia accusing Kenya of harbouring a fugitive wanted by its government in Mandera.
In a statement by Matiang'i, a security team led by the CS was dispatched to meet the president following a phone conversation between Uhuru and Farmajo on March 5, where they agreed to send committees from both nations to hold talks on jointly handling border security.
"Following the recent wave of security challenges along the Kenya-Somalia border, some senior state officers and I have been dispatched by H.E. President Kenyatta to meet his counterpart, Farmajo with a view to ironing out the persistent cross-border issues," tweeted Matiang'i about the mission.
Farmajo called Uhuru on the same day it was reported that Jubaland forces had invaded Mandera according to area Governor Ali Roba and forced a number of residents to flee their homes.
Roba claimed that the troops were moving freely inside the North-Eastern town.
"Jubaland security forces moving right inside Mandera Town on Bulla Jamhuria Road, near the central chief camp, by the Huduma Center.
"This is a major threat to the security of Kenyans in Mandera. Our government must move with speed to mitigate this situation or risk more loss of lives," shared Roba.
The phone conversation between the two leaders came hours after Kenya warned Somalia not to cause a provocation, as the tiff between the two neighbours escalated.
"We, therefore, urge the Federal Government of Somalia, to cease and desist from the unwarranted provocations and focus on managing its internal affairs for the welfare of her people; defeating terrorism; and advancing the cause of peace, security, and stability in the region," a press statement from State House read at the time.
Farmajo and Kenyatta discussed ways to jointly work on border security by sending committees from both nations to hold talks on strengthening trade ties between the nations.
They also acknowledged that border security was a shared responsibility around a mutual interest and affirmed that security was interconnected.
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