• Locals said two houses were burnt in Geneva area of Mandera after being hit by missiles fired from Somalia.
• A statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Kenya’s primary concern is that the renewed fighting engenders large-scale displacement of civilians inside Somalia.
Image: PSCU
At least 12 people were injured in a renewed fighting between Somalia National Army and Jubaland security forces at the neighbouring Bulahawa town.
Kenya has expressed concern over the fighting in a Diplomatic Note to the Chairperson African Union Commission.
The town of Bula Hawa is a few kilometres from the Kenya-Somalia border.
The fighting, which has intermittently taken place over several months since the beginning of 2020, appears to involve the Somali National Army against regional forces from the Jubaland State of Somalia.
A statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Kenya’s primary concern is that the renewed fighting engenders large-scale displacement of civilians inside Somalia.
This, the ministry said, increasingly generates large numbers of refugees and asylum seekers to Kenya, therefore aggravating the already dire humanitarian situation in Somalia and in the refugee camps in Kenya.
“Similarly, Kenya is concerned that if the fighting continues unabated, the situation could further destabilize the region, complicate the security situation and reverse gains made in the fight against terrorism,” the statement said.
In the note, Kenya called for the immediate cessation of the hostilities and a rapid return to normalcy, consistent with the AU’s calls and inspirations of “Silencing the Guns in Africa by 2020” efforts.
Tension remained high in Mandera town as fighting raged in the neighbouring Bulahawa town in Somalia pitting Jubaland security forces and those of the Somalia National Army (SNA).
Of those injured, nine were Kenyans.
Locals said the fighting spilt into the Kenyan side after bullets fired landed on some structures there.
Mandera and Bulahawa towns are neighbours and only a border wall separates them.
There were reports troops allied to Jubaland’s Abdirashid Janan had taken over the town and chased some commanders from the local police station.
Communication in Mandera Town was affected with locals claiming it had been intentionally jammed to discourage them from fanning the fighting.
Locals said two houses were burnt in Geneva area of Mandera after being hit by missiles fired from Somalia.
“We are hearing sporadic gunfire from the other side but a missile fired from there has hit houses here and two of them are on fire,” said a senior government official in the area who asked not to be named.
Somalia’s ministry of foreign affairs issued a statement claiming SNA troops had overpowered a militia behind the fighting and recovered what it termed as illegally imported high calibre weapons.
We could not verify the claims but locals said the fighting which started at dawn went on and there was sporadic gunfire at 10 am long after the statement had been issued.
The SNA and Jubaland forces had similar fighting over control of the town last March and by then the former had an upper hand.
On Monday, locals said they could see Jubaland troops taking charge of issues there amid fears of retaliation from the SNA.
The statement from Somalia’s foreign affairs ministry said they had blocked the said attempted deliveries of ammunition and high calibre weapons.
“The Federal Government of Somalia takes violations of territorial sovereignty and integrity as well as any actions that can have potentially destabilizing effects very seriously. The Federal Government of Somalia is investigating the origin and motives of the weapons and ammunition it has blocked intended for Somalia,” said part of the statement.
Somalia has been accusing Kenya of trying to destabilize it ahead of planned elections next month.
Kenya has denied the claims terming them lies.
A team sent by the Igad to the region to check on the claims did not find any evidence to support the claims.
This followed orders by the Igad committee.
Somalia presidential elections are scheduled for February 8, 2021, but pundits say it is not possible given many set activities to trigger it are yet to be done.
The US Embassy in Mogadishu said it had held a meeting with political leaders Abdikarim Guled, Hassan Khaire, Abdinasir Mohamed and Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden to discuss the controversial elections.
“…the urgent need to find a compromise and enable timely, credible elections. No partial elections. No parallel process. No violence,” the embassy said in a tweet.
Somalia has not had a stable government after the fall of Siad Barre in 1991.