Garissa (KAAB TV) – At least 11 Somali-Kenyan soldiers from the Somali National Army (SNA) have surrendered to the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) in Hulugho area of Garissa Region, after they said they were met with discrimination and harassment by their rulers.
The group was armed with eight AK-47 rifles, a shoulder-fired RPG and a PKM rifle, which were seized by army officers. The soldiers also handed over 826 rounds of ammunition.
The KDF initially received information that soldiers from the neighboring country were on their way to Garabey area in Hulugho.
A joint military team led by Major Ali Mohammed of the KDF moved to the site, where they found the soldiers sitting and waiting for further instructions.
Various guns
One of the defected soldiers, named Abdi Dekoo, 22 years old, from Kolbio area, was armed with an AK-47 rifle with 30 rounds, while Mohamed Sambul Ali, 35 years old, from Garissa town, carrying a shoulder-fired RPG and three missile warheads.
“The reasons for their departure were said to be the hardship and discrimination they faced from their leaders in the Somali National Army. All the weapons were handed over to KDF commander Hulugho,” said a police report.
There is no news so far from the KDF command in Nairobi and SNA regarding these latest events.
Sources say that the Somali citizens will be sent back to Mogadishu, while the Kenyans will be questioned for further action.
The area they escaped from, in Jubaland, was already the scene of clashes between the local forces and the SNA. The clashes stemmed from disputed elections in the state.
Regional forces
In the middle of December last year, the forces of the Jubaland regional administration clashed with the forces of the National Army in Raskamboni, while the Jubaland government later said that they had defeated the SNA forces.
About 240 SNA soldiers, including their commander, surrendered, while about 300 others fled to Kenya, handing over their weapons to the KDF. Jubaland forces also took over the camp and set fire to some of the vehicles there.
Dozens of SNA soldiers have been pictured seeking refuge in a Kenyan security checkpoint in the border town of Ishiakani amid ongoing armed clashes in the Raskambooni area between government forces. the federal and regional governments of Jubaland.
These soldiers were later taken to Mogadishu with their weapons.
The Somali National Army has officially announced its withdrawal from the Lower Jubba region after the attack. They have also previously accused Jubaland President Ahmed Madobe of making a secret deal with Al-Shabaab, which has a strong presence in the Lower Jubba countryside, which allows the group to attack the SNA peacefully.
The tensions between the President of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Ahmed Madobe have been increasing in recent months, as the conflict is based on the results of the presidential election in Jubaland.
Additional security officers have been deployed to the Kenya-Somalia border to deal with the crisis caused by the clashes, in addition to international interventions to control the threat of terrorism.