Three injured as fresh raids hit Marsabit

Police patrol Moyale town in Marsabit County on December 12, 2013 amid relative calm after security forces were deployed in the border town following deadly clashes between Borana and Gabra communities. The three people critically injured during renewed violence in Marsabit County, on January 7, 2014, have been airlifted to Nairobi for specialised treatment. PHOTO | FILE

What you need to know:

  • Area Senator Abubakar Godana and Pillar of Hope CEO Jaffer Isaak, said the raid, which occurred early on Tuesday morning, also resulted in the loss of more than 100 camels and several head of cattle which were driven away by the raiders
  • Earlier, Marsabit Governor Ukur Yatani told the Nation by phone from Dukana that the dead were suspected to be Borana raiders while the injured were Gabras

The three people critically injured during renewed violence in Marsabit County have been airlifted to Nairobi for specialised treatment.

They were among six people said to have been injured when attackers suspected to be from Ethiopia stormed manyattas at Dukana village in North Horr.

Six others are feared to have died in the attack.

Area Senator Abubakar Godana and Pillar of Hope CEO Jaffer Isaak, said the raid, which occurred early on Tuesday morning, also resulted in the loss of more than 100 camels and several head of cattle which were driven away by the raiders.

But police had on Tuesday told the Nation they could not confirm the number of those killed, adding that four people were seriously injured and that law enforcers had recovered some of the stolen livestock.

The victims who were evacuated on Tuesday night by Amref sustained gunshot wounds on various parts of their bodies. One had a fractured skull.

Mr Godana condemned the attack and urged the government to deploy the Kenya Defence Forces soldiers on the volatile Kenya-Ethiopia border.

“The situation is still tense in the area and the government must take responsibility and provide security,” he said while addressing journalists at Wilson Airport on Tuesday evening after receiving the injured.

According to Mr Isaak, who runs the Pillar of Hope NGO, the attack was political and called on area leaders to promote peace.

“This is not a fight over pasture or water, it is political and perpetrated by those who lost in the last General Election,” he claimed.

DEAD BORANAS, INJURED GABRAS

Earlier, Marsabit Governor Ukur Yatani told the Nation by phone from Dukana that the dead were suspected to be Borana raiders while the injured were Gabras.

He said there were simultaneous raids in Dukana, El-haddi and three other places on the Kenya-Ethiopia border.

The governor appealed to Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo and the military for reinforcements to recover the animals before they were driven across the border.

However, Deputy President William Ruto in a local TV talk show yesterday turned the heat on Mr Yatani, saying he risked being suspended as governor if he did not take action to end the clashes in the county.

Mr Ruto said the government told the county boss to address the insecurity, especially the political issues involved.