One killed in fresh attacks in Tana Delta

One killed in fresh attacks in Tana Delta

MONDAY, 03 SEPTEMBER 2012 00:09 BY ALPHONCE GARI

AGONY: A victim of the Reketa violence at the IDP camp in Dide Waride in Tana Delta on Wednesday. Photo/Alphonce Gari

Tension is high again in Tana Delta after one person was killed and two others seriously injured in fresh clashes that erupted yesterday afternoon at Tarasaa division. The dead person is from the Pokomo community and is believed to have been shot by Orma attackers.

Trouble started after a group of Orma herds boys confronted a Pokomo herds boy grazing over 40 goats, which they drove away. The boy reported the "theft" to his father who alerted villagers and pursued the attackers. The person was killed as the villagers tracked down the men who had fled with the goats.

This brings the number of deaths to 60 since the ethnic clashes began last month, Fifty-two pastoralists were killed in a massacre at Reketa village, while others farmers died in Kau, Tarasaa and Ngao. Tana Delta district Commissioner David Kiprop confirmed the death and described the attack as an isolated case since normalcy had returned.

Speaking on phone from Tana Delta, Kiprop said the injured were taken to Garsen dispensary, Ngao sub-district hospital and later transferred to Malindi for treatment. "We are treating this incident as an isolated case, becausecalm has returned and for the last three days there has been peace campaigns by the elders from both communities,'' said the DC.

Kiprop said the Pokomo community also drove away 103 cattle, but no animal was killed. Last Thursday week there was a peace meeting attended by MPs Nuhu Abdi of Bura, Danson Mungatana of Garsen, Tana River County Council chairman Salim Golo and senior provincial administration officials from the area.

The aim of the meeting was to end the violence find a lasting peace solution. The DC said the government will carry out an operation to force the locals to surrender all illegal firearms, as they had refused to surrender them voluntarily. The clashes have left thousands of people displaced with others fleeing their homes for fear of reprisal attacks.

The CID is yet to grill the Assistant Minister for Livestock and Galole MP Dhadho Godana after he was allegedly linked to the clashes. Defence minister Yussuf Haji  ordered Godana to be investigated for failure to attend and peace meeting of Coast leaders that was convened in Nairobi immediately after the bizarre  killing. Godana, has denied that he involved in the attacks.