Jubaland fighters take over Mandera as State House, security boses remain mum

In what could perhaps be the sternest test yet for Kenya’s territorial integrity in recent times, for more than a month, foreign troops from Somalia’s Jubaland state have pitched camp inside Mandera, occupying farmland in Border Point One village.

President William Ruto’s solemn oath as the foremost defender of the country’s sovereignty is under sharp spotlight as the State House remains eerily silent to the incursion.

Observers reckon that in any serious jurisdiction, the presence of an external force inside sovereign territory without sanction would amount to a national security calamity, but not in Kenya.

Even more baffling is the muted posture of Kenya’s top security command. Defence Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya and her Interior counterpart Kipchumba Murkomen are yet to comment on the claims that Jubbaland forces have been training in Mandera County and having a field day.

Not even General Charles Kahariri, the Chief of Defence Forces, has offered a word to anxious citizens as Jubbaland fighters freely traverse Mandera soil with reckless abandon.

Glaringly, the National Security Council, chaired by the President, has similarly gone missing in action, leaving room for denials and contradictions from local administrators.

And this sheer abdication of responsibility has now raised grave questions: Who, if not the Commander-in-Chief and his generals, is supposed to secure Kenya’s borders?

Who will come to the rescue of the people of Mandera, who now feel abandoned, having to run away from their homes, some watching helplessly as foreign soldiers seize their farms and houses?

On Tuesday, their anger spilled into the streets as a section of irate residents protested with placards and posters, expressing their wrath against the presence of Jubbaland forces in the border town.

The demonstrators, who hail from the Border Point One location, said hundreds of their families vacated their homes early in August, leaving behind helpless and underserved groups in the village.

According to Mohamed Malak, a senior resident at the BP1 location, the Jubbaland forces have stayed in the location for 33 days and occupied farmlands in the area.

The forces are part of a contingent that fled Somalia after they were hit in a war against the Somali National Army in Somalia's Belet Hawa town.

"Only a few people have remained in BP1 village in Mandera as the majority have fled to other parts of the town, while others crossed over to Ethiopia's Suftu town," said Malak.

Some inhabitants of that location have crossed over to Suftu and Dolo towns of Ethiopia, while others have moved with their children to stay with their relatives in other locations in Mandera East.

Fatuma Abdullahi Hussein, an elderly woman, who spoke to The Standard during the demonstrations in town, said she had moved all her children to the Suftu border town in Ethiopia together with her ageing husband for safety.
"I moved my 92-year-old husband to Suftu together with our children on a day mid last month when the village turned into a battleground for Jubbaland and Somalia National Army," she said.

Habiba Alasow Maow, a 78-year-old woman, said her grandchildren did not report to school for the third term and have nowhere to shift to. She said there has been no proper livelihood for her family since the fighters settled in BP1.

"Farming was our only source of income, but the farms have been taken over by foreign forces, leaving us unable to access them to harvest for our livelihood," said Alasow.

In the past, Kenya has enjoyed good relations with Jubbaland, with the state acting as a buffer zone between the country and Al Shabaab.

Kenya Defence Forces have trained the Jubbaland forces in their fight against the terror group.
Jubbaland shares a border with Kenya and Ethiopia.

Early this week, the Deputy County Commissioner for Mandera, Solomon Chepotone, denied claims of the presence of Jubbaland forces in Mandera.

Mohamed Abdi, an elder who was among yesterday’s protesters, rubbished previous claims by the DCC denying the presence of Jubbaland forces in Mandera.

"I would like to answer the deputy commissioner for Mandera on his broad daylight denials. I am a witness and can confirm the presence of Jubbaland forces in our farms in Mandera's BP1 village," said Abdi.

The Standard visited the base of the Jubbaland forces in the farmlands of Border Point One and spoke to foreign officers in full army uniform.

The Standard correspondent on the ground was, however not allowed to film the soldiers due to the sensitivity of the matter, but verbally interviewed some junior officers who cannot be named because they are not allowed to speak to the press.

The group leader of ten foreign officers, who fled their country after being overrun by SNA forces, confirmed their good and unending relationship with the government of Kenya.

"Kenya is our friend and has accommodated us well since early August after a fight broke out between us and the federal government forces who invaded our bases in Belet Hawa," said the officer.
"We have no problem with the people of Mandera and inhabitants of BP1 if they want to access their farms as long as they don't cause infringement to our military territory," he added.

Mohamud Sayid Aden, the vice president of Jubbaland state, is in charge of the forces based in the farmlands.

His boss, Ahmed Madobe, stays in Kismayu as his rebellious regime remains at loggerheads with the federal government.

The federal government army has now taken control of Gedo region in Jubbaland state and wants to advance up to Kismayu before the end of Somalia's President Hassan Mohamud’s reign.

Dr Luchetu Likaka, a security analyst, said failure by the government to speak about the matter has left room for speculation, but reports about the forces operating in the country should be treated as allegations.

“It has not been confirmed by government operatives; however, if it is confirmed, it raises a lot of concerns in terms of our sovereignty and internal security,” he said.

According to Likaka, Kenya should address the issue fast. He said the slow response may be due to different factors at play, adding that Kenya’s response to the alleged incursion may turn out to be volatile.

“It is high time that the government does not bury its head in the sand because of concerns from the ground. It is necessary that they be addressed,” he said.

Fighting between the two groups began in December 2024, after Jubbaland President Ahmed Madobe was re-elected for a third term, a move that was opposed by Federal Government of Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

According to Mohamud, the elections were held without the participation of Mogadishu, and his administration went ahead and issued a warrant of arrest against Madobe.

As the row between Mogadishu and Buale escalated into an army fight, the Al Shabaab terror group started to regain control over parts of the country where they had lost.

The recapturing of areas that the terror group had lost also coincided with the end of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (Atmis) on December 31, 2024.

Atmis was succeeded by the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), which was launched in January 2025.