Two more Kenyans killed in livestock clashes

21 Apr 2006

Source: Reuters
NYERI, Kenya, April 21 (Reuters) - Two Kenyans have been killed in Ethiopia in fresh violence over livestock and grazing land in drought-hit east Africa, bringing to nine the total killed in recent cross-border clashes. Kenyan police said about 100 Kenyan herders and their families, who had taken their animals in search of good pasture in neighbouring Ethiopia, were chased away by men in army uniforms for not having the appropriate documents. The group lost about 3,000 cattle, sheep, goats and camels, Kenyan police said. Two men from the northern Marsabit district were shot dead when they went back into Ethiopia, police said. Another herder with them escaped. "They had decided to go to the same place to see whether they could find the people who stole their livestock and convince them to return them," Deputy Provincial Police Officer Gerald Olouch told Reuters late on Thursday. At least nine Kenyans have been killed, thousands have fled their homes and more than 9,000 animals have been stolen in a bloody surge of livestock rustling across the country. Such raids often cross the borders of neighbouring countries as nomads move their animals in search of pasture. This year tensions over scarce pasture and water have risen because of a severe drought that has threatened millions of people with starvation and pushed rival pastoralist tribes even closer to the edge of survival. Kenya's northern regions have largely been neglected since colonial times, and government resources there are scarce -- with often just a handful of police or soldiers to keep vigil over vast lands with few roads and many heavily armed tribesmen. To try to stem recent cattle raids and reprisals, Kenya has sent hundreds of security personnel to remote districts, from the Ethiopian border to the Great Rift Valley. It was not clear whether the men in the most recent attacks were soldiers, criminals or rebels. The Ethiopian government blamed Oromo Liberation Front rebels for similar attacks last week. Olouch said police had contacted the Ethiopian authorities about the killings, which occurred in the Belesere area about 15 km (9 miles) from the border on Sunday, and that they had increased security on the border. "When we were there, we saw several herders returning back to their homes. They were returning without their livestock. Some had their household goods," he said.

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