HENOK MERHATSIDK 1.pdf - Addis Ababa University

terrorist groups. As we have seen in previous sub section of this study, the two countries
remained vulnerable for terrorist attacks and they could not fight this danger unilaterally.
Hence, they are jointly fighting terrorism and prevent Somalia from being a state ruled by
terrorists.
5.4. The Outcome of the Border Commission Meeting
Ethio-Kenyan border extends from Lake Turkana to Dollo, which is 830 km in length and
also demarcated. 16 To strengthen their economic, politico-military and socio-cultural ties,
Ethiopia and Kenya have signed various (about 50) bilateral agreements. Consequently, they
have managed to establish various common commissions such as border development
commission which meets annually, and ministerial commission consisting of three
committees: political and security committee, economic committee, and cultural and social
committee. 17 They have also consultation forums, report system, information exchange, radio
communication agreement, cattle checking, and common security project. Kenya is also
started disarming of its pastoral groups and the local communities in both countries cross
their border freely . Ethiopia and Kenya have boundary agreement in 1963 and visa abolition
in 1966. Unlike the rest countries in the region, the two countries registered early success in
forging such great interactions during the emperor regime. Many of African countries inherit
colonial boundary which is a will of the colonial powers rather than the local community.
Hence, number of countries went to war immediately after independence due to border
problems. But Kenya and Ethiopia won this problem. 18
Even if Ethiopian and Kenyan officials attended border commission meetings and try to
reduce security problems around their common border, there were incidents that caused loss
of life and destruction of assets in their common borders. The security problems in such
borders emanated from two key factors: political and economic. The political factor is
instigated by OLF (Oromo Liberation Front) that was reside in Northern Kenya where it has
ethnic affinity with the Kenyan especially at Moyale. Due to this fact, it was believed that
16
Interview with Machani Nathan,First Secretary of Kenyan Mission in Ethiopia on Thursday15/11/2010.
17
Interview with Teshome Shumbe an officer in MoFA,Neighbouring Countries Department on
December,2010.
18
Interview with Machani Nathan, First Secretary of Kenyan Mission in Ethiopia on Thursday15/11/2010.
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