Economy
Kenya halts Somalia border reopening as attacks spike
Wednesday July 05 2023
Interior and National Administration CS Kithure Kindiki arriving at Wajir County for a security visit. FILE PHOTO | POOL
Kenya will delay the planned phased-out reopening of its border points with Somalia in the wake of the recent wave of terror attacks and cross-border crime.
Interior Cabinet secretary Kithure Kindiki said on Wednesday the decision had been taken due to sustained Al-Shabaab attacks at the Somalia border.
Read: What Somalia’s entry into EAC means for the region
In June, Mandera, Wajir, Garissa and Lamu counties recorded more than 15 terror attacks, leaving more than 20 people dead, most of them security officers.
“Kenya and Somalia have been planning to re-open our border points in Mandera, here in Liboi, Kiunga and other areas along the border. The plan will go on, but at the moment we are delaying it,” said Prof Kindiki while in Dadaab.
“In the past month, we have noted and experienced disruption of peace and security. We have stopped that plan for a period to allow us to deal with the militants.”
On May 15, Kenya announced a plan to reopen its border points with Somalia in Mandera, Lamu and Garissa within 90 days.
The re-opening of the three border points—which had been shut for more than a decade due to insecurity—is expected to boost the flow of people and capital between Kenya and Somalia.
The announcement was made after high-level consultations in Nairobi between Prof Kindiki and his Somali counterpart Mohamed Ahmed Sheikh.
Reopening of the border was to effectively end a 12-year barricade that began in 2011 when Kenya launched Operation Linda Nchi to fight the influx of Al-Shabaab fighters into the country.
“We have resolved that the border between Kenya and Somalia will be reopened in phases. First to open is Bula Hawa in Mandera in 30 days, next is Liboi (Mandera) in 60 days and Ras Kamboni (Lamu) in 90 days,” the Interior Cabinet secretary said then.
The government has also been mulling adding a fourth border post in Wajir County.
The CS said the Border communities in both countries had so much in common and that there was a need to strengthen cross-border communication.
Bula Hawa Point in Mandera was set for reopening on July 1 but failed only for the CS to announce the continued closure while in Garissa County.
Mandera has been the most affected by the recent terror attacks due to its proximity to Somalia.
“It was not going to be easy to have the border opened. We have people benefiting through goods smuggling and the Al Shabaab are collecting tax from these businesses inside Somalia,” Mr Ali Abdi, a local of Mandera said.
While announcing the continued closure of the border, the CS did not give more details but only cited terrorism as the main cause.
The porous border between Kenya and Somalia has seen the militants cross at will, attack and cross back.
The influx of militants into Kenya has also been due to an ongoing crackdown inside Somalia.
In August last year, the Somali government launched an all-out war against the Al Shabaab, prompting the government of Kenya to heighten security along the border to prevent an overflow of fleeing militants into the country.
Read: US warns citizens over terror threats in Kenya
Kenya is a major contributor of troops to the African Union military operation against the Al Qaeda-linked Al Shabaab, which has been waging a violent insurgency in Somalia for more than 15 years.
Kenya and Somalia share a 680-kilometre land border and have been locked in a long-running dispute for years over a potentially oil-and-gas-rich chunk of the Indian Ocean.
