Fighting Erupts Between Disunited Somali Forces

Jubaland police officers parade during the Somali police anniversary. (Flickr)

Residents of Somalia’s southern Balad Hawo district fled clashes between Kenyan-affiliated forces and the Somali National Army (SNA) as SNA troops targeted a militia base in Jubaland, a semi-autonomous region in Somalia straddling its border with Kenya. The Fighting, which continued until the SNA seized Border Post 1 (BP1) on the morning of March 2, saw the use of both anti-aircraft weaponry and mortars. 

To avoid sustained SNA advances, the Kenyan-affiliated forces fled to Mandera, a Kenyan district bordering Jubaland, where Kenyan national forces provided them shelter in a guarded police station. Jubaland is presently governed under the Somali-led African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM). As such, the Kenya National Defense Forces (KDF) already have responsibility for security in Jubaland. Recent escalations, however, prompted the KDF to deploy additional troops to the Somali border. All the while, local residents worry that both sides are consolidating power with hopes to launch a renewed offensive.

Moreover, the whereabouts of Jubaland’s security minister Abdirashid Janan, who was reportedly the target of an SNA raid, remains unknown since his forces were defeated by soldiers of the central government after he escaped a Mogadishu prison on January 28.. 

The SNA has clashed with forces loyal to Ahmed Madobe, the state leader of Jubaland, who has allied with Kenya, which assisted Madobe in training and equipping his soldiers. Ethiopia, however, rejects Madobe’s legitimacy, and supports the central Somali government. 

Forces affiliated with both the SNA and Madobe’s faction were originally intended to counter  the Al-Shabaab insurgency in the country; however, many factions have engaged in significant infighting. Jubaland’s Minister of Information Abdi Hussein Sheikh Mohamed stated that such clashes provide an opportunity for Al-Shabaab to gain control of Somalia. U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) contacted Somali officials to stress the need to redirect their energies back towards fighting insurgents and emphasized the threat to stability these clashes pose. 

According to several analysts, the situation in Jubaland has the potential for to rapidly devolve into chaos, as it could foreseeably drag Kenya and Ethiopia, both of which are heavily present in the region through the African Union’s peacekeeping mission to Somalia, into a  conflict. Officials in Jubaland blame this potential crisis on SNA troops, which they claim are supported by Ethiopia. Jubaland Minister of Information Abdi Hussein Sheikh Mohamed stated that such clashes provide an opportunity for Al-Shabaab to gain control of Somalia. 

Jubaland does not have such significant political importance simply because it borders both Kenya and Ethiopia, but also, it hosts the regional seat of power in its state capital of Kismayo. Kismayo has acted as a crucial port city since its liberation from Al-Shabaab in  2012., however recent events have revived violence not seen since Al-Shabaab's occupation.