Somalia's main rebel groups say recent fighting over strongholds in the country's south has ended following an agreement.

The agreement was signed between Al-Shabaab and Hizbul-Islam groups on Wednesday, a Press TV correspondent reported.

“Today (Wednesday) we are, hereby, clearly and loudly informing our Muslim brothers that we have signed significant agreement with our brothers Hizbul-Islam,” Sheikh Hussein Ali Fidow, the head of Al-Shabaab's political affairs and regional relationship told reporters.

In the past two weeks, fighter of the two groups have clashed in the strategic southern port of Kismayo, 500 kilometers from Mogadishu, which was formerly shared by the two.

Sheikh Mohammed Ma'alim Ali, Hizbul-Islam's press secretary, confirmed the ceasefire, adding that a committee has been set up specifically to look into the causes of the disagreement in Kismayo.

The two groups joined forces against the new UN-backed government in Mogadishu, but remain poles apart in ideology. While Hizbul-Islam favors politics, Al-Shabaab seeks a strict interpretation of Islamic law across the nation.