3,428 Somalis fleeing war arrive in Mandera

The Kenya Red Cross Society has registered more than 3,000 refugees in Mandera who are fleeing heavy fighting in Bula Hawa town in Somalia.

Registration is being done ahead of planned distribution of aid to Somalis fleeing fierce fighting between Al Shabaab insurgents and Transitional Federal Government (TFG) forces backed by African Union troops.

About 3,428 refugees have been registered since Monday. Most of the refugees are scattered in various parts of Mandera.

“By February 28, at least 3,000 refugees had been registered and distribution of humanitarian aid is in progress as hundreds of refugees move to areas identified as camps,” a statement from the Kenya Red Cross said on Wednesday.

Kenyan security agents on Wednesday remained vigilant along the border.

Police spokesman Eric Kiraithe on Wednesday said Mandera was calm. “The situation is calm and we haven’t had any shooting incidents,” he said.

Meanwhile, the French government on Wednesday airlifted 13 Burundian and Ugandan African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) soldiers to Djibouti.

The soldiers were injured in combat in Mogadishu. In a related development, the Somali government has urged the international community to include Al Shabaab leaders to the list of individuals leading terror groups.

Government troops also blockaded Al Shabaab-controlled coastal towns of Marka, Barawe and Kismayu in a bid to cut weapons supplies to the Islamist extremists.