Kenya: Six Killed in Raid By Rustlers From Sudan

Source: The Nation

 At least six people were killed over the weekend in Turkana by suspected Toposa raiders from southern Sudan.

The raiders, armed with AK-47 rifles, were reported to have struck Mogila area in Lokichogio Division and drove away 732 animals.

The coordinator of Lokichogio Catholic Justice and Peace Commission, Mr Peter Moru, said the raiders struck three manyattas and battled it out with Kenya Police Reservists.

On the ground

He said the information he had on the raid was scanty, but promised to provide more later.

Turkana North district commissioner Jack Obuo said he was on the ground to assess the extent of the raid. He said Internal Security minister George Saitoti would issue a statement on the attack.

On Wednesday last week, 11 people were killed in a raid in Nakalese Village in the same district.

Eight of those killed were Toposa raiders from southern Sudan, who were shot by the police reservists, while three of them were Turkana pastoralists.

The following day, Turkana pastoralists wrote a letter to Prof Saitoti protesting against lax security in Turkana North, Central and South districts.

The pastoralists, through Riam Riam Peace Network, an organisation that champions peace in the area, said more than 127 people had been killed in the region in the last five years.

In a copy obtained by the Nation, the secretary of the organisation, Mr Lucas Ariong, claimed that 81 of the deaths were through Uganda People's Defence Force bombings. He wanted the State to intervene.

Seven people, were missing, according to Mr Ariong, adding that 41 had been maimed by bombs, while others were forcefully evicted from their homes in the district on the Kenya/Uganda border.

Mr Ariong said that the pastoralists have been bombed on three occasions in Uganda and Kenya.

Bombings

According to the peace lobbyist, one of the bombings was carried out in Kanyag'agiro in Uganda, while the other two were in Nakwanye and Morutorong along the Kenya/Uganda border.

He claimed that 10, 61 and 10 people were killed in the incidents respectively.

Mr Ariong said that 6,074 cows, 150 camels and 1,170 sheep and goats had been stolen in the process.Two MPs from Turkana have accused the Government of neglecting their community. Mr Ekwee Ethuro (Turkana Central) and his Turkana North counterpart John Munyes said the Government should be held responsible for the continued raids and killings in the North Rift region.