A Somalia military court has sentenced two members of the country's national army to death for their links to the al-Shabaab militant group, which has posed a security threat to the region for two decades.

The court issued its decision yesterday, saying that "the members of the army worked closely with Al-Shabaab militants to assassinate a senior military officer."

The death sentence was handed down at the scene of the killing, the court said, as a strong warning to soldiers who work with al-Shabaab militants.

The Al-Shabaab militant group has recently been resurgent and carrying out sporadic attacks in Somalia, regaining control of previously captured areas and posing a new threat to the country and the region.