MOGADISHU, Somalia – Somalia’s largest telecommunications company, Hormuud Telecom, said on Monday that Kenyan government forces had deliberately destroyed its communications equipment and an operations facility in southern Somalia, disrupting services for tens of thousands of civilians.
In a statement, Hormuud said the incident took place in the Dhuyac-Garoon area of the Lower Juba region, close to the Kenya-Somalia border. The company said the destruction mirrored a similar incident on Jan. 21, 2019, when its infrastructure in the same area was also damaged.
Hormuud said the damage caused major service disruptions and financial losses, affecting an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 residents in Dhuyac-Garoon and surrounding villages. Those affected were left without access to telecommunications and mobile money services, which are central to daily life in Somalia, where cashless payments are widely used.
The company said the outage had a serious impact on communities already facing severe drought, food insecurity and difficult humanitarian conditions in parts of southern Somalia.
Hormuud said it remained committed to providing services in a transparent and responsible manner but warned that circumstances beyond its control, including damage to infrastructure, could affect the continuity of its operations.
Arlaadi Media was not immediately able to independently verify the company’s claims. Kenyan authorities did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Kenyan troops are part of the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia, deployed mainly in the southern regions near the border, where they conduct operations against the Islamist militant group al Shabaab. Cross-border tensions and security operations have previously affected civilians and infrastructure in the area.
Hormuud Telecom, founded in 2002, is Somalia’s largest telecoms provider and a major player in mobile money services, with millions of customers across the country. The company plays a key role in supporting commerce, remittances and humanitarian cash transfers.
