Thursday August 21, 2025
FILE – Kenyan legislator Sulekha Harun speaks during a parliamentary session in Nairobi. Harun this week warned that clashes in Somalia’s Gedo region are spilling into Mandera County, endangering civilians and threatening Kenya’s sovereignty.
NAIROBI, Kenya (HOL) — Kenyan legislator Sulekha Harun warned this week that renewed fighting in Somalia’s Gedo region is spilling into Mandera County, endangering civilians and threatening Kenya’s sovereignty.
Speaking before the National Assembly on Tuesday, Harun said stray bullets and live explosives from clashes in the Somali town of Bula Hawo have crossed into Kenyan territory, particularly around Border Point One in Mandera town.
“Residents of Mandera have been subjected to alarming incidents involving stray bullets and live ordnance,” she told lawmakers. “These projectiles are endangering lives, destroying property, and instilling fear among innocent civilians, especially those living near the border.”
She said the insecurity has forced families to flee, shuttered businesses, and confined children to their homes. In some cases, residents sought refuge with relatives in safer parts of Mandera town.
Harun added that there were disturbing reports of Jubaland fighters briefly crossing into Kenyan territory during bouts of heavy fighting, calling it a direct violation of Kenya’s sovereignty and a severe national security threat.
“The presence of foreign armed groups on our soil is unacceptable,” she told lawmakers. “Communities are demanding action, including the removal of any foreign fighters whose presence contributes to this insecurity.”
The nominated MP called on the National Assembly’s Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations Committee to press the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs for answers. She asked what measures are being taken to protect civilians in Mandera, whether formal diplomatic protests have been lodged with Somalia’s federal government and Jubaland authorities, and what long-term strategy is in place to prevent future incursions.
The warning follows renewed hostilities in Gedo. In July, Somali federal and Jubaland forces clashed in Beled Hawo and Doolow after Mogadishu redeployed Abdirashid Janan, the former Jubaland security minister who is now federal intelligence chief, to the border region. The fighting left dozens dead and displaced hundreds, with each side accusing the other of instigating the violence. On August 11, fresh clashes erupted in Tuulo Aamin, a village near Beled Hawo on the Somali–Kenyan frontier, deepening mistrust between the rival forces.
Mandera, meanwhile, continues to feel the spillover effects of this instability. Harun urged Nairobi to expand cross-border peace initiatives and strengthen cooperation with Somalia to protect civilians “caught in the crossfire of a conflict not of their making.”
