Residents of Mandera county are living in fear after communication was disrupted for hours. The disruption, which affected both Safaricom and Orange services, lasted for over 15 hours on Thursday, February 16.
According to sources, residents could not make calls, send SMS, or access data through their phones. This led to fears among some residents that the terror group al-Shabaab might be planning to attack them.
In recent months, al-Shabaab militants have destroyed several communication masts in the county, including those in Dabacity, El Wak, Rhamu, and Kutulo. The destruction of these masts is seen as a strategy by the terror group to isolate the county during an attack.
A local resident, Khalif Hassan, reported that he could not make calls as his Safaricom line had lost network.
"I tried all morning to contact relatives and friends, and then I tried again in the evening, but the situation was the same,"
Hassan said.
The communication disruption in Mandera town comes just months after al-Shabaab launched several attacks in the county. The attacks have raised concerns about the security situation in the area.
The recovered account cited reporting by Tuko.
