One of Somalia’s leading telecommunications firms, Hormuud Telecom, has accused Kenyan forces of destroying one of its major mobile network facilities in the Lower Juba region, an incident the company says has severely disrupted essential services for thousands of residents.
In a statement released on Monday, January 19, Hormuud said the facility, located in the village of Dhuyac-garoon, was destroyed on January 14, 2026. The company noted that the same site had previously been targeted in a similar incident on January 21, 2019, raising concerns over repeated attacks on critical civilian infrastructure.
Hormuud alleged that the destruction of the facility resulted in widespread disruption of communication and mobile financial services, which are heavily relied upon by local communities. “We regret to inform our customers and the Somali community at large that Kenyan government forces have once again deliberately destroyed the company’s telecommunications equipment,” the firm said in its statement.
According to Hormuud, the incident directly affected between 20,000 and 30,000 people living in Dhuyac-garoon and nearby areas, leaving residents without access to basic telecommunications and financial services. The company stressed that these services are central to social interaction, business operations, and daily survival, particularly at a time when communities in the region are grappling with prolonged drought and harsh living conditions.
The firm further claimed that the facility was destroyed using landmines and alleged that the Kenyan forces involved crossed the border unlawfully and were not part of troops officially operating within Somalia.
Founded more than 20 years ago, Hormuud Telecom is Somalia’s largest telecommunications provider and the country’s leading private-sector employer. Headquartered in Mogadishu, the company serves over 90 per cent of the population, with more than 1.4 million active customers.
The incident comes just weeks after Kenya deployed Defence Forces personnel to Somalia under the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), a regional peacekeeping mission established in 2022 to counter militant activity.