Somalia-Kenya standoff allows al-Shabaab to overrun more territory

The terrorist al-Shabaab movement said on March 3 that it had recaptured Fafadun, a town of the southwestern Somalia Gedo state.

Most of the town's residents live below the poverty line and suffer all types of deprivation and disease.

Al-Shabaab said it recaptured the town after battles with African troops deployed in it.

Strategic importance

Al-Shabaab overran the town after the withdrawal of Kenyan troops which were part of the African Union Mission in Somalia, widely known as AMISOM, on Saturday.

The Kenyan troops, which had been deployed in the area for seven years, evacuated their bases, opening the door for the entry of the al-Shabaab militants.

The town holds its own strategic importance for the Kenyan troops and al-Shabaab as well. It is located on the border between Kenya and Somalia. It connects a number of Somali regions in the southwestern part of the restive African state. It also lies in the middle of the economic road between Kenya and Somalia.

Crisis getting worse

Relations between Nairobi and Mogadishu have been deteriorating against the background of the diplomatic crisis between the two African capitals. Kenya and Somalia cut off their diplomatic ties after the Somali government invited international companies to explore oil and gas in a disputed area near Kenya's maritime borders.

Kenya in response recalled its ambassador from Somalia and had not returned him yet.

Al-Shabaab had been trying to capture the area for the past seven years. This was why the area had been the scene of repeated clashes between the terrorist group and the Kenyan troops.

A convoy of the Kenyan army came under attack last week, which caused clashes between Kenyan troops and al-Shabaab militants.

Bloody history

In January 2018, al-Shabaab said it destroyed Kenyan army military equipment and killed 20 Kenyan soldiers. In July 2015, living conditions in Fafadun deteriorated greatly. This caused most of the residents of the town to flee it. Unrest in the area also caused the food crisis in it to get worse, in the total absence of humanitarian aid agencies. Several calls were made for helping the residents of the area, but most of these calls fell into deaf ears.

In January 2016, al-Shabaab staged an attack on Kenyan troops deployed in the town. The attack left 100 Kenyan soldiers dead.

Wrong move

African affairs specialist Mohamed Ezzeddine described the decision of the Kenyan troops to withdraw from Fafadun as a "wrong" one.

"This decision will open the door for the return of al-Shabaab to the area," Ezzeddine told al-Marjie.

He added that the withdrawal of the Kenyan troops would also give al-Shabaab the chance to launch more attacks in the border area between Kenya and Somalia.