Bula Hawa, also known Beled Hawo, is a border town in Somalia's Gedo region adjacent to Kenya’s Mandera. Its strategic location links it to Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia, acting as a business hub for communities in the three nations.
The town has over the years witnessed a number of battles, with the latest happening on July 30, 2025, between the Somalia National Army and the Jubaland Force over control of the strategically positioned centre.
Jubaland and its leader -- Ahmed Mohamed Islam alias Ahmed Madobe — have in recent weeks been in the news following reports of fighters crossing into Mandera County, something the Kenyan security authorities have denied. Jubaland forces have been fighting the Somalia National Army.
Bula Hawa has for years been touted as more stable place than the rest in Southern Somalia despite attacks by Al Shabaab insurgents.
Tensions escalated when the regional commander of the Somalia National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) Abdirashid Abdinuur alias Abdirashid Janaan and other Federal Government of Somalia officials arrived in helicopters with weapons and troops in Bula Hawa. Hundreds of Somalia nationals are reported to have crossed over into Kenya during the fighting.
In the battle that ensued, federal troops recaptured the police station, district headquarters and other government buildings from Jubaland forces and displaced them.
Some of the Jubbaland military officers who escaped fighting in Bula Hawa are escorted to Mandera police station on March 2, 2020.
Photo credit: Manase Otsialo | Nation Media Group
It should be remembered that Abdirashid Janaan is Jubaland’s former Security minister who was arrested and detained in Mogadishu and later converted to NISA boss. Before launching an attack to recapture the same Bula Hawa, he had led Jubaland Forces to overrun the town from Somalia National Army.
Amnesty International then demanded that Kenya arrest and hand over Abdirashid Janaan back to Somalia, where he would be tried according to fair trial standards.
Seif Magango, Amnesty International’s deputy director for East Africa, Horn and The Great Lakes said then that the victims of Janaan’s alleged crimes had waited patiently for justice and their hopes must not be frustrated.
“It is unconscionable that Abdirashid Janan, who is suspected of responsibility for crimes under international law and other serious human rights violations, has evaded attempts to bring him to justice,” said Amnesty International.
Before his arrest, he was wanted by the Somali government for alleged human rights violations and was arrested in August 2019 in Mogadishu but escaped in January 2020. He was on the run for a year before he resurfaced in Bula Hawa.
The fighting at the end of July this year was triggered by the re-election of Jubaland President Ahmed Mohamed Islam aka Madobe, for a third term in late 2024, which the federal government considers unconstitutional and illegitimate.
Fighters from Al-Qaeda-linked Al Shabaab insurgent group have on several occasions captured and controlled operations at the busy border town consider a flashpoint by security agents from both countries.
Residents are pictured on the streets of Mandera town as smoke rises from explosions in the neighbouring Bula Hawa town of Somalia, amid fighting between Jubbaland and FGS forces, on March 2, 2020. PHOTO | MANASE OTSIALO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
The takeover of Bula Hawa came days after Jubaland forces clashed with federal troops in the nearby town of Doolow, for which Jubaland forces claimed victory.
The Somalia government has previously accused Ethiopian troops stationed in Doolow of backing Jubaland Forces in the fighting.
The Somalia federal government has disputed the last two Jubaland presidential elections and has previously attempted to install a friendly candidate in vain.
Since then, the federal government has deployed troops across Gedo region in an effort to undermine Jubaland’s authority and install a rival administration. Jubaland has responded by reinforcing its military presence, leading to recurring clashes.
According to the International Crisis Group (ICG) Senior analyst Omar S Mohamed, the Somalia government and the Jubaland administration are fighting to establish dominance in Gedo region and the border town of Beled Hawo which has become a flash point in the battle.
“The government and Jubaland disagreed about the legitimacy of state elections held in Kismayu last year during which Jubaland President Ahmed Madobe secured another term. Since then their dispute has turned violent as Mogadishu seeks to undermine Madobe’s standing. The first step was trying to oust him in Lower Juba region last year which they failed to do. The effort in Gedo now is a second attempt, and fi Mogadishu succeeds it may seek to establish parallel administration, recognizing that as a legitimate representation of Jubaland instead,” Omar S Mohamed asserts.
The Somalia analysts further opines that the dispute is rooted in electoral politics and political careers of those involved and without efforts to resolve the dispute, further clashes are likely. This will only serve to benefit Al Shabaab.
“The main risk is destabilisation across the border due to Somali infighting,” the ICG analyst says.
