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| Africa Horn |
| Kenya Tribal Vendetta Kills 38 |
| 2012-09-11 |
| [An Nahar] Tribesmen attacked a village in southeastern Kenya Monday, torching homes and sparking festivities that killed 38, in the latest round of tit-for-tat ethnic violence to plague the area, officials said. The vendetta between the Pokomo farming community and their Orma pastoralist neighbors already left 52 dead last month in Kenya's worst tribal killings in years. At least 300 members of the Pokomo tribe stormed Kilelengwani, a village in the Tana river delta and near some of the east African country's most idyllic beaches, early on Monday and attacked members of the Orma community. "We have 38 people dead including coppers. We are doing everything possible to restore peace there," local police chief Aggrey Adoli said. A Red Thingy official said nine coppers are among the dead. "16 men, nine coppers, eight children and five women have died with 167 houses burnt," Kenya Red Thingy spokeswoman Nelly Muluka told AFP. She said the coppers were caught up in the fighting when they tried to respond to the emergency. "Some of the dead had gunshot wounds but it appears most of them were hacked to death," Abdulahi Haji Gudo, a member of a local peace group told AFP. Police have jugged Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! four local chiefs in connection with the violence. "Four area chiefs have been jugged Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! . These are the people who are on the ground and who must have had knowledge of the attacks even before they occurred," Coast Provincial Commissioner Samuel Kilele said. "The hunt is on for the attackers," he added. "Tensions remain high in the area, but the fighting has stopped," Caleb Kilande, another Red Thingy official, told AFP from Kilelengwani. The two rival communities have clashed repeatedly over the use of land and water resources. The Pokomo are a largely settled farming people, planting crops along the Tana River, while the Orma are mainly cattle-herding pastoralists. "The situation is getting dangerous, something needs to be done urgently," Kenya Red Thingy chief Abbas Gullet said in a statement. The Red Thingy said it sent ambulances, paramedics and first aid teams into the village and that a further eight people were still in hospital. Area politician Danson Mungatana said a peace meeting between the two warring communities was held on Saturday. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 After 52 years of independence from colonial British who brought medicine, schools, books, and religion, hacking one's neighbors to death still remains a popular method of conflict resolution. One could mistakenly conclude there exists a common thread, possibly related to geography, but probably not. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2012-09-11 07:04 |