Cuba negotiates for release of doctors abducted by Al-Shabaab

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Cuba is keen to have two doctors abducted by Al-Shabaab released from their captors, over three years later, even with reports that the medics are in "good condition" and are helping the group to treat people and offer medical care in an undisclosed location.

According to Prensa Latina, President, Miguel Diaz-Canel informed the country that deliberate efforts have been undertaken to rescue the doctors who were kidnapped by the militants from Mandera County in northeastern Kenya where they were stationed at the time of the incident.

In Kenya, the driver of the vehicle has been sentenced for being an "accomplice" in an attack where a police officer attached to the medics was killed. Miguel said Havana is keen to have the doctors released by the Al-Shabaab, a group that has been causing havoc in the federal republic of Somalia.

“We persevere in our battle for the safe return to Cuba of Doctors Assel Herrera Correa and Landy Rodriguez Hernandez. Four years after their kidnapping, we continue our tireless efforts to have them among us, together with their families and their people,” the president wrote on his Twitter account.

Mandera County just like neighbors Wajir and Garissa are near Somalia and is prone to frequent Al-Shabaab attacks. The group often managed to cross over the border to carry out sophisticated attacks, with Kenya, which is one of the AU forces Troops Contributing Countries, being the major target.

After the abduction, both Cuba and Kenya have taken steps to negotiate for release, with elders in Gedo being the stepping stone for their release. With Al-Shabaab calling for "ridiculous" ransom, Kenya objected to the proposed amount even though sources from Foreign Affairs Ministry hinted that negotiations were still on.

The Caribbean communist nation started a medical program in which seems thousands of doctors go to foreign countries for work. Despite the incident, Kenya still has hundreds of medics from Cuba who are stationed in different parts of the country due to the cordial relationship between Nairobi and Havana.

Al-Shabaab militants are currently on receiving end following the decision by the government of Somalia to activate operations against them. The just-ended phase left over 3,500 Al-Shabaab militants dead and over 4000 injured according to reports by the government of Somalia.