Mandera, Kenya – Nearly 200 families, mostly women, children, and the elderly, have fled intense fighting in the Somali border town of Balad-Hawo and crossed into Kenya’s Mandera County seeking safety.
The influx follows days of heavy gunfire between rival armed groups in Balad-Hawo, a strategic town near the Kenya-Somalia border. Eyewitnesses report that homes have been damaged and civilians caught in the crossfire, prompting a mass exodus of terrified residents.
Local officials in Mandera say the displaced are arriving in desperate condition, many without shelter, food, water, or access to medical care. Temporary shelters are being erected, but resources are stretched thin.
“We are witnessing a humanitarian emergency. These people fled with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Children are hungry, mothers are exhausted, and the elderly need urgent medical help,” said an official from Mandera County who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Authorities are appealing to the national government and humanitarian agencies to provide immediate support to prevent the crisis from escalating.
Security agencies have also been deployed to monitor the situation at the porous border to prevent further spillover of violence into Kenyan territory.
Balad-Hawo has previously been a flashpoint for clashes involving militias and security forces, often triggering displacement across the border.
Humanitarian organizations warn that unless fighting subsides and aid reaches both sides of the border swiftly, the situation could deteriorate rapidly.