By Adan Mohamed - Reporter
December 16 2025 - Calm has returned to Elwak Town, Mandera Central Sub-County, after a tense exchange of fire between police officers and suspected militia in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
According to a preliminary police report filed at Elwak Police Station (OB No. 04/16/12/2025), the attack unfolded between 1:15 a.m. and 2:30 a.m. when armed suspects targeted the residence of Chinese contractors in the town. Officers on duty engaged the attackers and successfully repelled them.
Initial information suggests the militia infiltrated Elwak using four Toyota Probox vehicles. Two were later spotted fleeing toward Burahache via border cutline routes, while the remaining two remain unaccounted for.
During the assault, the compound’s main gate was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) and destroyed. Remarkably, no casualties were reported. All personnel, police officers, contractors, and the site engineer are safe and accounted for.
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A multi-agency security team, including the Border Police Unit (BPU), Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), and Kenya Police Service (KPS), has been deployed to the area. Clearance patrols began early Tuesday morning, and investigations are ongoing, led by the DCI Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU).
Authorities have assured residents of enhanced security as operations continue. Further updates and a comprehensive report are expected once the area has been fully cleared.
Even as calm returns, the events remind Elwak residents of the precariousness of peace along this border town , a fleeting quiet, always measured against the night’s gunfire.
