Kenya’s territorial integrity is under threat following the incursion of rebel Jubaland armed forces into the northeastern county of Mandera, posing a security threat to the region and causing despondency among residents.
The Jubaland numbering hundreds, entered the Kenyan territory in July after being beaten by the federal forces, the Somalia National Army (SNA) in Bula-Hawa in Gedo region. The SNA has now followed the Jubaland forces into Mandera, resulting in skirmishes on August 30 that resulted in the death of five civilians and the injury of seven, while hundreds have been displaced from their farms.
The Jubaland forces have also occupied one of the biggest primary schools in Mandera and disrupted learning at a time when students are about to sit for the September exams. Mandera governor Mohamed Adan Khalif has asked the national government to step in and remove Jubaland military forces from Mandera immediately, or the county will take the law into their hands.
“We want the immediate relocation of the Jubaland forces out of Mandera. If they don’t do it, we will do it ourselves. Mandera will never be a battlefield for Somali forces. We have no interest in Somalia, and they should take their fighting to their own country<’ said Governor Khalif.
Strategically-placed Mandera is a county located at the northeastern tip of Kenya, bordering Somalia to the east, Ethiopia to the north, and Wajir County to the south. It is predominantly home to the Somali community, with a population of about 983,000.
The Governor accused the government of President Ruto and the Kenyan Defence Forces (KDF) of inaction. The entry of Jubaland forces into Kenya poses several risks. First, they are armed, which poses a threat to the local population.
“You cannot stop our people from going to their farms. You can’t close schools and damage infrastructure in the name of supporting a function in Somalia,” he said, adding that Ethiopian forces have also joined the mix.
Secondly, they have come in with firearms, which poses the risk of arms in the wrong hands, with speculation that some of them have sold their weapons and changed into civilian clothing. Thirdly, their continued stay could spark a diplomatic rift between Kenya and Somalia, given that Mogadishu is not happy that Kenya is giving “shelter” to Jubaland forces.
Denis Okemwa, a Security Analyst, said that while Kenya’s security is at risk when foreign armed forces enter the country, the Kenyan government is trying to play the peacemaker between the Somali federal government and Jubaland authorities because it cannot be seen to be taking sides.
The delay by the KDF to push the Jubaland forces from Kenya’s territory has attracted rounds of criticism from the opposition, with the former Deputy President, Rigathi Gachagua, saying that the government’s inaction has put the country at great risk.
“It is unacceptable that foreign forces can invade Kenya, occupy our land and terrorise our people by cutting water supply and occupy farms while KDF and the commander-in-chief are quiet<” said Mr Gachagua.
The current crisis can be traced back to November last year, when the Jubaland president, Ahmed Mohamed Islam, commonly known as “Sheikh Madobe”, held elections and won a third term in the state against the wishes of the federal government.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud had last year changed the election laws to enable the country to hold elections based on universal suffrage for the first time since 1969.
However, Jubaland and Puntland states have resisted the changed laws, while Galmudug, Hirshabele and Southwest are negotiating with the federal government.
Sheikh Madobe’s decision to hold elections in November caused major friction between Jubaland and the federal government, which led to the fighting between the two armies in Ras Kamboni, Gedo region, in December.
The federal forces were defeated, forcing them to cross to Kenya at Kiunga, near Lamu. After the defeat, the SNA turned their focus to the Gedo region. This time, the SNA managed to defeat the Jubaland forces and took control of the strategic border town of Bula-Hawa in the Gedo region, forcing the Jubaland forces to flee into Kenya.
