Six more killed as Mandera clashes escalate

By Cyrus Ombati and Abdisalan Ahmed

Six people were killed and property destroyed on Tuesday night after clashes between communities in Mandera County escalated.

The six were killed in a retaliatory attack Rhamu town in Mandera bringing the death toll since Monday to 11.

North Eastern PC Ernest Munyi said two people were wounded in the incident.

Contingents of General Service Unit have been deployed to Mandera.

Local leaders said the security personnel from regular and administration police are not enough to contain the escalating clashes.

The leaders led by assistant minister Mahamud Mohamed said 18 people have been killed since February and blamed instability inside Ethiopia for the clashes on the Kenyan side.

Mohamed denied claims by a group of leaders from the area that Monday’s clashes that left five people dead were caused by Gare militia.

“There is no such terminology like Gare militia. The attacks were committed people who crossed from Ethiopia who were retaliating an earlier one,” said the minister.

He told off his Mandera Central counterpart Abdikadir Mohamed who made the claims saying he is part of the problem the area is facing.

Five people were Monday shot dead in Mandera County near the Kenya-Ethiopia border by gunmen who escaped soon after.

Four others were injured in the attack which occurred in Banisa district. 

Several animals were stolen in the attack and housed torched.

Among the deceased were a six year old child, three men and a woman who were shot when the gang of about 20 struck at about 8 am.

All the victims were Degodia and were reportedly attacked by Gare, which apparently spreads to Ethiopia.

A second attempt to attack Malkameri village was thwarted by a group of Administration Police officers who were at the local provincial administration offices, police said.

Acting internal security minister Yusuf Haji had last month held a meeting in Garissa town to solve the issue. He condemned the attacks and urged local leaders to solve their differences without letting them turn violent.