KISMAYO, Somalia, Oct 13 – An act of aggression inside Kenyan territory in 2011, preceded by a series of attacks on government installations and kidnappings of local and foreign nationals, compelled the then commander in chief of the Kenya Defence Forces President Mwai Kibaki to invoke article 51 of the UN Charter in order to secure the right to self-defense from unwarranted attacks by Al-Shabaab terror group.
The operation, codename: Linda Nchi (Protect The Nation) sought to degrade the insurgency which had threatened the country’s security and national interests.
Some 10 years on since October 14, 2011, the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) remain in the Horn of Africa Nation, albeit now under the African Union Mission In Somalia (AMISOM) where they seek to reduce the threat posed by the Al Shabaab, assist the Somali security forces to provide security for the political process at all levels as well as stabilization, reconciliation, and peacebuilding of the country.
A decade later, has KDF adequately achieved its mandate and what are the hurdles that remain, barring Somalia from enjoying the peace and prosperity it once did?
–The Battle of Hoosingo–
On January 22, 2012, a contingent of KDF soldiers were deployed to Somalia’s Southern Region in the town of Hoosingo. Their instructions were clear; to meet up with Somalia’s Transitional Federation Forces (TFG) and liberate the small town.
On paper, it was a battle that was bound to fail – a disaster that would see the enemy obliterate Kenyan troops as they had outnumbered and outgunned them.
In typical Kenyan military brilliance, several months later on April 4, 2012, it was the enemy that was degraded – it is said more than 400 insurgents were killed, the largest number single-handedly at the hands of the KDF.
From the skies, the KDF Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Hoosingo in the Lower Juba region of Somalia, stands at the centre of a village that still has scars of a battle bravely fought and won by the Kenyan troops, almost a decade ago.
On the ground, Shahidi News noticed men and their herd of livestock moving towards the dense thicket in search of pasture, during a recent visit to Somalia.
These movements according to residents remain heavily dependent on the peace efforts by the Kenya Defence Forces who in turn say that the events of April 4, 2012, serve as a daily reminder to never let their guard down, amidst entrenched Al-Shabaab presence years later.
“It is here where one of our landmark battles was and we registered the biggest victory on the war against terror… it was a battle that lasted more than 11 hours. Over 1000 Al-Shabaab fighters had planned a massive attack to overrun this base,” Major Shamrock Ng’etich, Officer Commanding KDF, Hoosingo base narrated.
According to the military, the insurgents had been monitoring their activities and were certain of a victory.
It is further said that during the attack, the Al-Shabaab who had more than 1000 militants in the area, launched their attacks by dispatching a battalion of at least 100 militants every 45 minutes.
“Our ground troops had enough armour that sustained them until when our Kenya Airforce fighter jets arrived on time to complement the ground troops with air support, which saved the day,” he said.
In their documentation of the over five-hour long battle which commenced at dawn, at one point communication failure left senior officers at the FOB concerned whether the Base’s coordinates had been correctly transmitted through the chain of command since the close air support was needed.
At just the right time, as their ammunition supplies had begun to dwindle, air support came in, at the same time an armoured carrier driver tried to stop attackers who were crawling into one of the KDF trenches.
“Over 300 Al – Shabaab were killed and several of their weapons recaptured after that battle. It is one of the battles that we regard as the most successful, defensive operations ever executed after the incursion to Somalia. The current security situation here is generally calm but remains fluid due to the unpredictable nature of Al – Shabaab,” Major Ng’etich said.
Diary notes of officers who fought in the battle of Hoosingo share insights into the assault by the enemy.
They say that it was after the guns had gone silent and the air clear of the smoke and dust from the exchange of fire, that news filtered through that the attack had been undertaken by an elite squad of the Al-Shabaab whose approach was to advance to the FOB in groups of 100 insurgents in rapid succession.
“Al – Shabaab still remains a potential threat to Somali security and regional peace and security. But we continue to undertake surgical intelligence-led operations to reduce the capacity and capability of Al-Shabaab and other armed groups. On that front and over time Al – Shabaab has not been able to undertake any major operations against our forward operating bases including across the border,” Brigadier Jeff Nyagah, AMISOM Commander, Sector 2 told Shahidi News.
In the last decade, KDF has since braved the high and low waves of the militants’ incursion inside Somalia, since rehating into the light green berets of the AMISOM command.
With victories at Hoosingo and Kismayo on the Indian ocean, there have been sad days at Kolbiyo and El Adde – battles bravely fought and lives lost in valour for flag and country.
Back home, the commander in chief of the Defence Forces President Uhuru Kenyatta honoured the ultimate sacrifice made by soldiers battling for the country’s honour behind enemy lines.
The president has commissioned several statues of the gun, helmet, and boots, representing their last orders as they rest. But even as they mourn publicly, some of the details still remain highly classified.
–Lessons from the Battle of Hoosingo–
“In terms of what we have lost, since 2011, first we offer our deepest condolences to our gallant soldiers that fell in the line of duty, while protecting sovereignty and territorial integrity, of our motherland. We shall always remember them. We are heavily engaged as we speak. We have our troops still actively engaged in all the FOBs in Somalia, and therefore sometimes it’s good to be a little conservative when it comes to the numbers because this may embolden our adversaries,” Brigadier Nyagah said.
Carrying lessons learnt over time has become imperative to change tact, rules of engagement as well as modernise weaponry in order to upscale attack on the enemy and be ready to combat them if they cross the lines and venture into the FOBs or even try to harm convoys on their way to peace or community development missions within the sector.
“Efforts have further been complemented by additional capabilities that KDF under AMISOM has injected in terms of air assets, maritime assets, and also intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance assets, “ he said.
As residents here continue to enjoy relative peace, institutions of learning are roaring to love once again.
For the younger generation, each day, they brave the heat and harsh weather conditions in search of a better future not only for themselves but also for their families.
“We expect that ver when learner complete primary school they will join a secondary school which we hope will be constructed here soon. We want learning to improve and we will even have a university one day,” Ahmed Hussein, Head Teacher Hoosingo Primary School said.
Though from time to time insurgents venture into this territory, away from their cells in search of revenue streams and ration supplies, residents believe there is a need to be more vigilant in order to ensure the gains made over the last 10 years are not reversed.
–Operation Sledge Hammer–
Several kilometres away, the port city of Kismayo still dazzles those approaching from the skies…the crescent-like shoreline, changes hues from blue to turquoise, with the water glistening from the kiss of the suns’ rays.
In the last decade, the port city has come to life once more enabling the business to thrive and the economy to prosper. The old guard vehicles that have seen better days, still park at this yard to be loaded with food and other goods that have arrived at the port to the city of Kismayo and beyond.
The test of times have seen the port and the city through tougher moments but even with the past still visible, the smiles on the faces of those who work the port to enable families to break bread at the dinner table still shines through.
“First of all the success has been brought by three things, the first one is because of Allah, the AMISOM fraternity, and the people that live and survive on this port. That is the one thing that we can say about the development of this town. The economy has also grown because of the peace that has been experienced here,“ Ahmed Haji Adan, the port manager said.
“AMISOM has done great things. If there are some security threats coming, the damage is not a problem only for the Somalis, but one that will cost the entire region. We have a common enemy. My friends and I have worked together since the beginning, know how the people are getting their lives improved. You can pay money for all other investments but peace and security are paid by the blood which is very expensive than other things,” Ahmed Madobe, President of Jubaland told Shahidi News.
The port just like its people can afford to raise its feet in rest, as the economy moves, albeit slowly depending on the vehicular traffic that drives the economy across the semi-autonomous state.
“There is a significant difference here in Jubaland. The 10 years have made a great difference to this place,” Hussein Rabi Kaheen, chairman of Jubaland chamber of commerce said.
The port city of Kismayo is the economy not only here in Jubaland state but in Somalia and the horn of Africa region, and just like many other parts in the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has hit hard, but they are hopeful that better days are yet to come for their businesses to thrive once more.
“COVID-19 has affected everybody. In Somalia, we have products coming from everywhere in the world. The numbers have however gone down,” said Kaheen.
Due to its strategic position, serving as an open corridor into the high seas, the Kenya Navy special boat units patrols the seas day and night with air support from Kenya army and Airforce fighter piloted choppers in order to repulse the enemy and move the danger away from the port.
“Our role here is to assist Somali security forces, in securing Kismayo seaport. Our main task here is intercepting inbound and outbound vessels, including fishing vessels, speed boats, and cargo merchant ships,” Lt. Onesmus Katiwa, Officer commanding – Kenya Navy Special Boat unit said.
The sailors manning the port of Kismayo that lies within the sixth AMISOM sector in Somalia, have to liaise with Somali security forces and the port police to crack down on any illegal activity of threat of terror that may be inbound from the high seas.
“We also conduct maritime security operations that include protecting vessels externally and internally from sea-based terrorists which include piracy, hijacking, and human trafficking,” said Lt. Katiwa.
The journey to delivering the port city of Kismayo begun with extensive pre-deployment training in the heart of the Rift Valley in Loruk, Baringo county.
The tightly kept secret that was operation ‘Sledge Hammer’ started in Hulugho, Garissa county with an initial plan to capture the town of Bula Haji in southern Somalia. Notes of senior commanders in that incursion, give accounts of engaging Somali forces their plans inside Kenya, in Manda, Lamu county.
In late September 2012 troops made a tactical move of delaying the capture of the port of Kismayo and the new airport until early October. A decade later, KDF troops cooperate with Ethiopian forces in enforcing peace in the region.
“We took over this town about 9 years ago and we are almost celebrating a decade since then. We are greatly impressed by the achievements so far and we believe, when they take the same stride, in the next ten years, we shall see a completely peaceful Jubbaland and Kismayo as a port city. At the moment, Kismayo is one of the calmest towns in the country,” said Lt. Col. Godfree Owuor, Commanding Officer, 2ND MIB.
Kenya is currently positioned in various parts of Somalia, with 16FOBs in sectors two and six which it commands alongside with Ethiopia.
Allegations of Misconduct.
Over the ten tours of duty undertaken by the KDF troops in Somalia, songs of praise have been sung, but also allegations of misconduct on their part have been published by local Somali and the international community.
The port of Kismayo has been alleged to be a cash cow for the soldiers in the trade of charcoal and movement of illegal contraband goods into Kenya.
“ We have a mandate that guides our operation. But also the issue of Sugar, this is something that draws a lot of traction between the local population and Al- Shabaab as a source of income. To the local population it is something for them to benefit socio-economically. To Al- Shabaab its also a source of income, for them to generate funds so that they are able to sustain their war effort. But in all those allegations, there is nobody who has ever come up with tangible evidence saying that I saw KDF with three lorries of sugar crossing the border. Actually, we will be glad to be shown that evidence. But also there are those who are not happy with what we are doing here,” said Brigadier Nyagah.
In the recent past, the Somali government has written a protest letter to the AU complaining while making allegations that Kenyan forces in their air combat operations, had hit civilian populations in the Gedo region.
Kenya denied the allegations which were investigated by the Africa Union and independent agencies.
The KDF troops have since been absolved of any misconduct in the matter, as open investigations reports showed that airplanes flown by Kenyan forces were flying many kilometres away from that alleged impact area at the moment of the alleged attack.
Transition Plans.
Having been in Somalia for a decade now, the question of when and how they plan on an exit is rife in the minds of not just Somali’s but Kenyans and the international community as well.
Even the best-laid plans need to be reconfigured to match the changing times and weather patterns that are within and out of Somalia according to the military.
For those securing Somalia, events in Afghanistan in August and September are just one of the many dynamics that keep them at the drawing board without any solid or finer details of exiting Somalia as had been planned three years ago.
“We want to look at the whole spectrum. We are watching what is happening internationally and what does that potent to us. I believe that it’s not limited to the military. scanning the environment, and also the political angle of it if you look at the elements on national power political, economic, and social factors must come into consideration before someone makes a decision and say, I think this is the time,” Brigadier Nyagah said.
The question now remains, when is the sun expected to set on the AMISOM presence in Somalia?
“We are guided by the Somali transition plan that runs from 2018 to 2021. Under that plan, we provide space and room for the capacity building of the Somali security forces so that they can gradually take over operations within their country. And to do this, as the KDF troops we have been at the forefront of providing training as well as mentorship in line with the capacity building planning, to ensure that they are ready for the assumption of the role of responsibility of security duties. But they will be dependent on the prevailing security situation as per the target of 2023, “ said Lt. Col. Godfree Owuor.
On his part, Brigadier Nyagah said, “I strongly believe that being a political process, the military can offer its advice based on its own assessment on the matter. But I believe strongly that they will be in a position to make a decision and see what are the practical or realistic timelines that must be set.”
He added that “al-Shabaab still remains a credible threat to Somali peace and regional peace and security.”
While policymakers plan out the transitional plan to one day enable Somali National Army to secure Somalia, AMISOM troops continue to conduct joint patrols especially within the border region of Dhobley, which lies 12 kilometers away from the nearest Kenyan town of Liboi.
“We engage in capacity building of the Somali security forces through training mentoring and to some extent providing them with resources so that they are able to undertake independent operations. Most of the time we undertake joint operations, but when it comes to pacification operations in seas that we are not in control of we have left that to a greater degree to the Somali security forces,” Brigadier Nyagah said.
“There is the Somali transitional plan and AMISOM reconfiguration plan. Under the Somali transition plan, it is purely Somali state-driven, and what it envisages is the gradual handover of security responsibility by AMISOM to Somali security forces. The catchword here is a gradual handover of those security responsibilities. Under the AMISOM reconfiguration plan, it envisages that once you have handed over responsibilities of the area, that you have been manning then you reposture. And where we are as KDF under AMISOM, we have been able to posture sector reviews to our FOBs and this is to ensure that they are more agile, flexible, and able to react to any developing situation, on the forward defended localities.”
In 2018, AMISOM began executing the drawdown of troops from the country that had targeted the reduction of about 1,000 troops each year in line with the transitional process.
The changing face of terror, a fragile political process, and events from the international spheres in the last few months have however slowed down the process.
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