Rustlers shot and killed 10 people, including five children, in two raids in northern Kenya and set dozens of huts on fire before stealing thousands of goats and hundreds of camels, officials said on Thursday.
Victims told church officials that hundreds of Pokot warriors attacked two Turkana settlements, 550km northwest of Nairobi, late on Tuesday night, said Lucas Ariong and Morris Losike from the Catholic Church’s justice and peace commission.
In a raid on Kapelbok, the attackers killed three villagers, two primary school children and wounded an elderly man before stealing 2 660 goats. A second group of Pokot raiders killed two herdsmen and three herdboys in an hour-long fight near Kataboe. The assailants stole 3 000 goats and 500 camels, victims said.
A wounded elderly man, Ekutan Mudang, was evacuated by a light aircraft to Lodwar District hospital, where hospital officials said that his legs would be amputated.
Charles Begi, the acting district commissioner in Turkana, said he could only confirm four deaths, but added that he was awaiting further reports since the area attacked is extremely remote and communication was difficult.
Begi said security forces were pursuing the two groups of attackers who were attempting to return to their home villages in West Pokot district.
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 assault weapons into the region following wars in neighbouring Uganda, Sudan and Somalia have made them much more lethal.
Raids also tend to pick up with the beginning of the school year as communities sell livestock to pay for school fees. — Sapa-AP