Four construction workers were shot dead by gunmen in northern Kenya on Friday, near a refugee camp and the volatile border with Somalia, Kenyan police reported on Saturday.
The attack occurred at a hospital construction site close to Dadaab, Kenya’s largest refugee camp. The area borders Somalia, a known stronghold of the militant group al-Shabab.
Garissa County, where the attack took place, has a history of violence linked to al-Shabab militants crossing the porous border.
While the specific perpetrators remain unidentified, local police suspect the attack may have been carried out by an armed group who previously warned the construction company to leave the area, claiming it as their territory.
This incident is part of a recent rise in violence across northern Kenya. Last week, gunmen killed two herders at a watering point in the Mandera region.
Additionally, authorities recovered a potentially detonating improvised explosive device near the Mandera border point on Wednesday.
In April, an explosion in a donkey cart in Elwak town claimed five lives.
The Kenyan government has responded by increasing security operations in the north.
However, these efforts have not yet halted the violence, forcing them to postpone plans for reopening the Kenya-Somalia border, which has been closed since 2011.
Despite official closure, illegal crossings in the region reportedly remain frequent.
