Ethiopia joins fight against terrorism in Somalia

Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said Ethiopian troops are set to join the African Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) as part of renewed efforts to fight terrorism in the Horn of Africa region, the Ethiopian TV reported. Hailemariam said Ethiopian troops will join Kenyan and Ugandan troops who are part of the AMISOM fighting Al-Shabaab insurgents in Somalia. The Prime Minister was speaking when he hosted Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto in Addis Ababa on Saturday. Ruto had gone to attend the Africa Media Leaders Forum where he represented President Uhuru Kenyatta in Addis Ababa on Friday. "My country's security chiefs are already engaging in talks with their Kenyan counterparts on the joint mission", said Hailemariam. Ruto said Kenya had suffered from terrorism. He welcomed Ethiopia’s decision to join the AMISOM. The deputy president said that as part of a campaign to eliminate the threat of terror, an estimated one million Somali refugees would be repatriated under an agreement which will be signed in Nairobi on Sunday. The repatriation program is being undertaken by the Kenya and Somali governments together with United National Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). The two leaders also discussed and agreed that they need to engage communities living along the Kenya-Ethiopia border to minimize border conflict. Touching on the ICC issue, Ruto thanked the Ethiopian government for its stand on the matter under the African Union.