Influx of Somali Regional Forces Sparks Fear in Kenya’s Mandera County
NAIROBI, Kenya – November 24, 2025
Residents in Kenya’s northeastern Mandera County have expressed alarm over the arrival of Somali regional forces fleeing clashes with the federal government in Somalia. The forces, reportedly from the Jubaland region, crossed into Kenyan territory following military operations by Mogadishu authorities last month.
Local elders report that armed Somali forces have occupied key farmland areas and have been present in the region for over four weeks. There is a lot of fear in the area… most people have run away, said Urgus Shukra, a Mandera elder. Schools have been shut down, businesses paralyzed, and families displaced due to stray bullets, rocket-propelled grenades, and unexploded ordnance, according to Mandera Senator Ali Ibrahim Roba.
Kenya’s Interior Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen downplayed the situation, describing reports of the forces’ presence as exaggerated for political gain. We cannot confirm now what kind of people they are… if forces or civilians, Murkomen told reporters.
Mandera Governor Mohamed Adan Khalif had previously raised concerns over the incursion, warning that it compromised Kenya’s national sovereignty. Local protests have also been held to demand government action.
Kenya maintains troops in Jubaland as a buffer against the Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab, which has carried out several attacks within Kenya. The ongoing tensions between Jubaland’s regional government, led by Ahmed Madobe, and Somalia’s federal authorities have complicated security dynamics in the border area.