NAIROBI (SD) -The Kenyan government has stated that they will not immediately reopen the border with Somalia.

Kenya has expressed concern about the impact on regional security that could result from the drawdown of the African Union Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) which is currently underway.

Kenyan Interior Secretary Raymond Omollo, at a presser, told Journalist that they had assessed the security needs of the country, including all entry and exit points.

Dr. Omollo’s remarks come months after Kenya’s Interior Cabinet Secretary, Kithure Kindiki, and Somalia’s Minister of Interior, Mohamed Ahmed Sheikh Ali, announced plans to reopen the border following high-level talks held in Nairobi.

The Kenya-Somalia border has been closed for 12 years.

An upcoming National Border Management Conference which will bring together stakeholders will evaluate the border operations over the past ten years and discuss strategies to improve efficiency in the sector.