The Attack on Geriley

The Attack on Geriley

Last Thursday 13 July, Al-Shabaab (AS) seized control of a Somali National Army (SNA) and Jubaland Darawiish base in Geriley, near the town of El Wak in south-west Gedo. The base, just 12 kilometres from the Kenyan border, had been vacated by Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) less than two weeks earlier as part of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) draw down. A worrying sign of Al-Shabaab strength in Jubaland, the attack has also highlighted concerns raised by several Jubaland politicians about the readiness of the SNA and regional forces to take over ATMIS security responsibilities.

The Geriley Forward Operating Base (FOB) was handed over by the KDF to the SNA on 29 June, one of 6 bases ATMIS handed over to Somalia in the past month. The KDF had manned the Geriley base for close to a decade. But a statement issued by Al-Shabaab on 13 July announced that the militant group had seized the base and the entire Geriley area, emphasising its proximity to the Kenyan border. According to AS, its fighters had already occupied the area surrounding the base days prior to the attack in which the FOB had been overrun from multiple directions. Video footage and photographs of the attack were later released by Al-Shabaab on 16 July, showing militants roaming the deserted base.

Al-Shabaab did not waste time targeting Geriley after the ATMIS withdrawal. Approximately 200 AS fighters armed with 9 technical vehicles were observed entering the area and taking control of the town on 1 July, just three days after the reported KDF exit. Additional AS fighters armed with 14 technical vehicles were deployed to Geriley on 3 July, as Al-Shabaab prepared to launch its first attack on the SNA and Jubaland Darawiish base. That attack, which happened on 4 July, was successfully repelled by Somali forces.

Al-Shabaab subsequently deployed 200 additional fighters armed with 7 technical vehicles to an area near Geriley on 7 July. A further 180 AS fighters with four technical vehicles deployed towards Geriley from a village north of Garbaharey town in Gedo on 8 July.

Despite signs that Al-Shabaab was strengthening its position in preparation for a second attack, encircling Geriley and blocking potential reinforcement routes, the FOB did not receive additional military support. When AS launched its second attack, Somali forces defended the base for several days, but they were ultimately unable to resist hundreds of AS fighters.

Jubaland’s Darawiish forces claimed to have retaken the base on 14 July, a narrative contested by a key member of Somalia’s Federal Parliament. On 19 July, Mursal M. Khaliif, who serves on the Defence Committee, suggested that Al-Shabaab remained in control of Geriley. Khaliif expressed alarm that Jubaland and SNA forces had received no support. He warned that if Somali security forces were not “reinforced by the international community immediately, Al-Shabaab will definitely increase their foothold along the Kenya-Somalia border.” Al-Shabaab leaders also seem confident about AS presence in Geriley. AS appointed one of its commanders as Chairman of the town on 16 July, claiming to have established full control.

Just a week before the attack on Geriley in early July, Jubaland’s Vice President Mohamed Sayid Aden had expressed concern regarding the ATMIS draw down. He said the withdrawal was premature and ill-advised, and repeated requests from the regional administration to halt the withdrawal had been overlooked. He said he believed that neither Jubaland forces nor the SNA were adequately prepared to assume control of vacated ATMIS bases, and urged a concerted effort to manage Jubaland security. This warning sadly went unheeded.

Al-Shabaab control of Geriley is likely to affect the morale of the population living in this unstable border area, as well as local support for the Kenyan and Somali governments. Having lived with the KDF and then ATMIS for nearly a decade, locals who had worked with Kenyan forces may now fear reprisals; in fact, the security of the entire local population is now at risk. A strong AS presence in Geriley not only poses risks to Kenya, it places other Somali government-controlled parts of Gedo in danger, including El Wak. On 17 July, some 200 AS fighters reportedly left Geriley, travelling towards Bardheere– an area with a meagre government presence, far removed from possible SNA or Ethiopian reinforcements. If Al-Shabaab succeeds in taking Bardheere town, or imposing a blockade like the one currently seen on Baidoa, it would be another serious blow to Jubaland security.

Having been initially repulsed at Geriley, Al-Shabaab received hundreds of reinforcements from several directions. But despite a growing number of militants in the area, and despite apparent AS control of Geriley town prior to the second attack, Somali security forces remained unprepared. There appears to have been no plan to support the federal forces in charge of the base. This lack of support is detrimental to overall force morale.

An urgent rethink of the ATMIS draw down is now required. While it is unlikely that these vital holding forces will remain for much longer, a successful FOB draw down could include a transition in which withdrawing ATMIS soldiers are present alongside Somali federal and regional forces. Intelligence-based contingency plans to support SNA-controlled FOBs in case of attacks are essential. The ATMIS transition to place ownership of Somalia’s security in the hands of Somali security forces is commendable. But a premature departure that leaves Somali forces, and civilians, unprepared will only lead to more deadly incidents like the attack on Geriley.

The Somali Wire team

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