MANDERA, Kenya — A group of armed soldiers from Jubaland state crossed into Kenya after clashes with Somali federal forces, raising security concerns.
The regional soldiers fled after Somali government troops seized Beled-Hawo town, intensifying tensions between Jubaland and the Mogadishu-based central government.
Local leaders in Mandera say the soldiers have occupied farmland and disrupted life for nearly a month in border areas.
“There is widespread fear. Most residents have fled,” Mandera elder Urgus Shukra told AFP, adding the soldiers frequently fire weapons and hold training camps.
Mandera Senator Ali Ibrahim Roba posted on social media that fighters are inside Mandera town, forcing school closures and business shutdowns.
“Families displaced fear stray bullets, RPGs, and unexploded ordnance,” Roba said, noting the risks to civilians in the affected areas.
Kenya’s Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen dismissed local warnings as politically motivated and said there was currently no cause for alarm.
“We cannot confirm who these people are or whether they belong to formal military forces,” Murkomen told Kenyan media outlets recently.
Mandera Governor Mohamed Adan Khalif said fighters’ presence violates Kenyan sovereignty, and local residents protested Tuesday demanding their removal.
Opposition politicians criticized President William Ruto’s silence and called for urgent action to restore peace along the Kenya-Somalia border.
Kenya keeps troops in Jubaland, Somalia, to combat al-Shabab militants responsible for deadly attacks inside Kenya over recent years.
Jubaland President Ahmed Madobe, a close ally of Nairobi, faces opposition from Somalia’s federal government, which refuses to recognize his administration.
