Tribal fighting between cattle rustlers and herdsmen in northern Kenyan killed at least 13 people, including three children, a government official said Wednesday. Armed fighters from the Pokot tribe attacked members of the Turkana tribe late Sunday in Kataluk, about 310 miles northwest of Nairobi, and stole cattle, sheep, goats and donkeys, District Commissioner Njenga Miiri told The Associated Press. Eight people, including the children, were shot to death in that attack, and two Pokot were killed by pursuing Turkana tribesmen, Miiri said. Three other Turkana were killed in fighting between the rival tribesmen that continued into Monday, he said. "I have mobilized my district security team and now we are heading to the scene to ascertain the exact number of people killed," Miiri said.
The attack came days after the government suspended an operation to seize illegal arms in northern Kenya’s West Pokot district after Pokot tribesmen fled into neighboring Uganda to evade police. Last month, Pokot warriors shot and killed 10 people, including five children, in two raids in Turkana and set dozens of huts on fire before stealing thousands of goats and hundreds of camels. The Turkana and Pokot are nomadic tribes that have competed for livestock and grazing land for centuries. While raids have always been common, the introduction of modern weapons into the region following conflicts in neighboring Uganda, Sudan and Somalia have made the raids more lethal. |