MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Fierce clashes erupted on Monday between Somalia’s army and Jubaland regional troops in the border town of Balad Hawo, leaving a number of combatants dead or wounded, including senior commanders, officials and local sources said.
The fighting broke out after federal troops launched an assault on Jubaland forces conducting maneuvers near Amin village, roughly 5 km northwest of Balad Hawo, at the tri-border junction shared by Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia, according to Gedo regional governor Abdullahi Abdi Jama.
Speaking to Universal Somali TV, Jama said Somali forces captured the village, forcing Jubaland troops – who had regrouped there after being expelled from Balad Hawo a week earlier – to retreat toward the Kenyan border.
“The army took full control of Amin village and pushed back the Jubaland militias who fled across the border,” Jama said.
Balad Hawo district commissioner Abdullahi Abdi Keynan accused Jubaland forces of deliberately cutting off water supplies to the town in the days leading up to the attack. He claimed they had blocked even tanker trucks attempting to deliver water.
Keynan confirmed that Hussein Giif, a senior Jubaland commander, was killed in the clashes. However, he declined to verify reports that federal military commander for Gedo region, Adan Dhaforey, had been wounded. “There were minor injuries among our forces, but I cannot confirm individual cases at this point,” he said.
Kenyan said Jubaland soldiers were captured following the assault, while others fled across the borders into Kenya and Ethiopia, where they were allegedly disarmed by the two countries’ border guards. The Somali federal government has requested the return and handover of the fleeing Jubaland personnel, he added.
The confrontation follows an earlier directive by the Kenyan government ordering Jubaland forces who had sought refuge inside its territory to withdraw. The regional forces later re-established a base in Amin village, which became the focal point of Monday’s attack.
Jubaland Vice President Mohamud Sayid Adan, speaking to BBC Somali, said their forces were attacked and insisted that regional troops remained in the contested area. He confirmed that injured soldiers were receiving treatment in hospitals in Kenya’s Mandera town, across the border.
He accused Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre of instigating the violence for political gain, claiming they were undermining long-standing cooperation among security forces in the region.
The renewed violence comes amid reports that Ethiopian authorities – long seen as patrons of Jubaland administration – had demanded Somali federal troops withdraw from Balad Hawo just days after retaking it from regional forces.
Both the federal government and Jubaland authorities confirmed casualties on both sides, though neither side provided specific figures. It remains unclear whether any civilians were among the dead or wounded.
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