Kenya, Ethiopia plan border demarcation

By PHILIP MWAKIO and PATRICK BEJA

Kenya and Ethiopia have agreed to jointly demarcate anew the international boundary separating them following disputes over beacons and infiltration by criminals and border tribes.

President Kibaki and Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Meles Zenawi have agreed on the demarcation to eliminate lingering confusion over the sizes and reach of both nations.

"Following a directive by the two Heads of State that a joint boundary committee be established to inspect boundary and replace pillars, it is paramount that we move forward as per the principals’ directives,’’ Acting Internal Security Permanent Secretary Mutea Iringo said in Mombasa yesterday.

Information

The two nations have also agreed to share information and intelligence on rebels including the Oromo National Liberation Front and Ogaden National Liberation Front and other transnational criminals in the vast desert territory separating the two countries.

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North Eastern Provincial Commissioner James ole Seriani, who led Kenya’s delegation of provincial commissioners and regional commissioners from Rift Valley, Eastern and North Eastern Provinces, announced that the two neighbours would share information on illegal immigration and establish military bases along the international frontier to check on cross border raids by cattle rustlers and other militiamen.

He said yesterday that boundary disputes between border communities would be amicably solved through a properly demarcated border. He announced that Kenya has established an army base along the Kenya-Ethiopia border in Todonyang, Turkana County to curb rebel militia attacks and asked Ethiopia to establish the same on its side of the border to allow the security personnel to tighten surveillance and address security issues as they arise on the ground.

Out of its five neighbours, Kenya has demarcated its borders only with Ethiopia (in the 1960s) with whom she shares common security concerns over Somalia and the threat of irredentist claims on their territory.

Confusion

However, beacons no longer exist on this border causing confusion for border tribes and security forces in both nations.

Ato Shiferaw, a member of the Ethiopian delegation told The Standard: "We have exhaustively discussed pertinent issues touching on border security, future co-operation and mandated survey experts from the two nations to meet in two weeks time to survey border demarcation beacons and come up with an acceptable boundary."