Four suffer gunshot wounds as football teams fight in Mandera

At least four football players suffered gunshot wounds after a fight over a playground turned tragic in Mandera East Sub County on Friday.

Trouble began at about 11am after a group of youth accompanied Golden FC players to the Sheikh Daha playground within the Bula Jamhuria location to demand to be promoted to the top league in Mandera called Adidas football division.

When the group arrived, they started uprooting the goalposts at the playground.

Members of the local community raised alarm before Bula Nguvu FC, who use the playground for training and their home matches, responded.

A fight ensued, attracting the locals.

According to Bula Jamhuria location chief Abdihakim Abdullahi, both groups were armed with crude weapons that left several people injured.

Members of Golden FC went after one of the locals, who disappeared into the neighbourhood.

The unrelenting youth stormed one of the homes belonging to Mr Kusow Muktar Abdi, a police reservist, and demanded that the fleeing man be released.

Abdi allegedly pulled a G3 rifle, serial number A03747A under the pillow and faced the rowdy youth in his compound.

The rifle was issued to Abdi by the local police boss and he has been using it to supplement police work.

He is also issued with three magazines, each loaded with rounds of ammunition.

Abdi allegedly pulled the trigger, firing at the group that scampered for safety. Four youth were injured.

Police identified the injured as Abdinasir Abdullahi (18), with a bullet wound on the right hand and Abdikamar Mohamed (21), who suffered a dismembered left middle finger.

Mohamed Omar (18) suffered bullet wounds on both thighs, while a minor had a bullet lodged in his chest and underwent surgery Friday night to remove it.

Abdi has since been arrested and is being held at Mandera Town Police Station.

Abdisalan Lakicha, Football Kenya Federation North Eastern Coordinator, condemned the incident and called for sobriety among football teams.

“What happened is uncalled for and our football teams have to find better ways of having their grievances heard,” he said.

Bula Jamhuria chief said cases of local football teams engaging in violence are becoming rampant in his location.

“We had a similar situation in the Boystown area where two teams clashed and caused a lot of chaos in the residential area. I want team managers and sponsors to agree on rules of engagement so that we end this violence,” said Abdullahi.