39 killed as farmers beat up herders in Kenya
Source: Agencies |
December 22, 2012, Saturday
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AT least 39 people were killed when farmers raided a village of herders in southeast Kenya early yesterday in renewed fighting between two communities with a history of violent animosity, a police official said.
Thirteen children, six women, 11 men and nine attackers were killed, police official Anthony Kamitu said.
Forty-five houses were set on fire during the attack, Kenya Red Cross spokeswoman Nelly Muluka said.
Kamitu, who is leading police operations to prevent attacks in the region, said the Pokomo tribe of farmers raided a village of the semi-nomadic Orma herding community at dawn in the Tana River Delta. He said the raiders were armed with spears and AK-47 rifles.
At least 110 people were killed in clashes between the Pokomo and Orma in August and September.
The tit-for-tat cycle of killings may be related to a redrawing of political boundaries and next year's general elections, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Kenya, Aeneas C. Chuma, said in late August. However, on the surface the violence seems driven by competition for water, pasture and other resources, according to him.
Dhadho Godana, a member of parliament from the region, and Defense Minister Yusuf Hajji have been accusing each other of involvement in the fighting. The two have testified before a commission of inquiry led by a High Court judge investigating the clashes.
Political tensions and tribal animosities have increased due to competition among potential candidates in the March election.
Violence after Kenya's last general election, in late 2007, killed more than 1,000 people. Officials are working to avoid a repeat during March's presidential election, but episodes of violence around the country are raising fears that pockets of the country will see violence during the voting period.
The Tana River area is about 690 kilometers from the capital, Nairobi.
The utilization of the Tana River water has been at the middle of a conflict pitting the Pokomo against the Orma, said a research by the Institute of Security Studies in 2004, following clashes in the Tana River area in 2000 to 2002.
The Pokomo claim the land along the river and the Orma claim the waters of the river, the research said.
Thirteen children, six women, 11 men and nine attackers were killed, police official Anthony Kamitu said.
Forty-five houses were set on fire during the attack, Kenya Red Cross spokeswoman Nelly Muluka said.
Kamitu, who is leading police operations to prevent attacks in the region, said the Pokomo tribe of farmers raided a village of the semi-nomadic Orma herding community at dawn in the Tana River Delta. He said the raiders were armed with spears and AK-47 rifles.
At least 110 people were killed in clashes between the Pokomo and Orma in August and September.
The tit-for-tat cycle of killings may be related to a redrawing of political boundaries and next year's general elections, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Kenya, Aeneas C. Chuma, said in late August. However, on the surface the violence seems driven by competition for water, pasture and other resources, according to him.
Dhadho Godana, a member of parliament from the region, and Defense Minister Yusuf Hajji have been accusing each other of involvement in the fighting. The two have testified before a commission of inquiry led by a High Court judge investigating the clashes.
Political tensions and tribal animosities have increased due to competition among potential candidates in the March election.
Violence after Kenya's last general election, in late 2007, killed more than 1,000 people. Officials are working to avoid a repeat during March's presidential election, but episodes of violence around the country are raising fears that pockets of the country will see violence during the voting period.
The Tana River area is about 690 kilometers from the capital, Nairobi.
The utilization of the Tana River water has been at the middle of a conflict pitting the Pokomo against the Orma, said a research by the Institute of Security Studies in 2004, following clashes in the Tana River area in 2000 to 2002.
The Pokomo claim the land along the river and the Orma claim the waters of the river, the research said.
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