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Kenya sends troops to end militia fighting in north | Reuters

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* Fighting blamed on local political squabbles

* Border sealed after thousands flee into Ethiopia

* Local officials say 10 killed, residents say more than 20

By Noor Ali

ISIOLO, Kenya, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Kenya said on Friday it had sent troops to its northern region to stop a week of fighting between rival ethnic groups that has killed at least 10 people and sent thousands fleeing across the border into Ethiopia.

Joseph ole Lenku, the cabinet minister for internal security, said in a statement that parliament had approved the deployment of the Kenya Defence Forces. He did not say how many troops had been sent or how long they would remain.

Rural communities in northern Kenya have long clashed over the control of valuable grazing land, but the fighting in the town of Moyale has marked an escalation in tension.

Residents say politicians in the region, some 800 km (500 miles) from the capital Nairobi, are using clan militia to jostle for power in new local administrations that have been formed since a March 4 election, and to settle old scores.

More than 20,000 people have fled into Ethiopia, residents and a Kenya Red Cross worker said. Others are seeking refuge at the local police post. The border has since been closed to prevent militia from entering Kenya, security officials said.

Security officials in Moyale said 10 people had been killed in fierce fighting between rival ethnic groups - Borana on one side and an alliance of Gabra and Burji on the other. They battled with guns and mortars, officials said. Local people put the death toll at more than 20, with dozens wounded.

Issiah Nakoru, the county commissioner, said he had received reports of 10 deaths.

TROOP PATROLS

"We are liaising with security officials in Ethiopia to ensure no foreign fighters cross into Kenya," Nakoru said. He said Kenyan troops patrolling the vast, harsh terrain had arrested several people suspected of involvement in the fighting.

Tit-for-tat clashes have also been reported this month in the northwestern Turkana region, an area where explorer Tullow Oil has discovered oil deposits. More than 10 people have been killed in those clashes, and thousands displaced.

Although Tullow's operations have not been affected by the fighting, the oil company was forced to temporarily halt drilling for two weeks in October after local residents stormed their drilling sites demanding more jobs and benefits.

Kenya has sent in extra security forces to the north in the past, but sporadic and low-key fighting has continued after the officers have pulled out.

Many homesteads in the region have weapons to deter invaders, while herders often carry guns to protect their animals because there is barely any police presence.

The entire arid northern region of Kenya is also awash with guns due to its proximity to unstable neighbours such as Somalia, where al Qaeda-linked militants have been fighting to topple the government, and Ethiopia, where the armed Oromo Liberation Front has made sporadic incursions into Kenya

Construction of Isiolo-Moyale road halted following violence-Standard Digital News -

A truck that was burnt last Friday by rowdy youth between Turbi and Walda in Marsabit County [PHOTO: ALI ABDI/STANDARD]

By ALI ABDI and LIBAN GOLICHA

NAIROBI, KENYA: The Chinese firm constructing the fourth phase of the Isiolo-Moyale road has suspended work due to inter-clan violence in Marsabit County.

In a statement yesterday, China Wu Yi said it suspended work on Sunday afternoon after rivals engaged in the Marsabit conflict attacked its workers and vehicles.

The contractor cited the violence at Turbi in North Horr and Walda and Makutano in Moyale.

“The construction of Turbi-Moyale (A2) road was stopped due to local violence,” said the statement signed by Yi Bao.

 Noting the project had been affected by insecurity, the official said the locals from Turbi area hijacked its vehicle and two others on the Marsabit-Turbi Road on Sunday.

A truck was also set ablaze by armed men at Turbi trading centre. Security personnel from Turbi rescued passengers aboard the truck.

RIVAL SIDES

Between last Thursday and Saturday, the contractor said rival sides used heavy weaponry near the project area.

“It was observed that even grenades and mortars were used in the gunfight (between the rival sides),” the statement said.

 Last Friday, Yi said two trucks not belonging to the firm were looted and burnt by locals at Walda and Makutano that also affected their work.

At Turbi, Walda and Makutano, he said, the rivals fought with police last Saturday.

The firm said work would only resume if the National Government assures them that their staff were safe and work will not be interrupted in anyway.

Saku MP Ali Rasso condemned the attacks on passengers and vehicles and called on both the county and national governments to protect the locals and contractor’s staff.

Meanwhile, hundreds of passengers have been stranded in both Moyale and Marsabit towns following the week-long violence at Turbi and Makutano.And the Government has ordered residents along Marsabit- Moyale road to open up the highway.

CLEAR THE ROAD

Marsabit County Commissioner Isaiah Nakoru called on residents to clear the road, failure to which the Government will use full force.

He warned residents found attacking vehicles will be arrested and prosecuted.

Mr Nakoru noted that the major blockage was at Turbi and Walda trading centres where vehicles were stoned and burnt.

Armed militia attack Moyale, cut off link to Ethiopia or Kenya -Standard Digital News

MOYALE, KENYA: Armed militia Wednesday morning attacked three cars among them a lorry less than 10 kilometres from Moyale town and cut off Kenya from Ethiopia as the Gabra- Borana conflict intensifies. Wednesday marked the eighth day in which the battle, which has also has cut off the border town from the rest of the country, has seen road transport come to a standstill. The dawn attack saw at least three people seriously injured and have been admitted to Moyale district hospital. Gun shots could be heard from Moyale town from 7.30 am till 9am. “The militias have thrown at least three grenades this morning. They are well armed and we cannot just go after them blindly. They are sparing no one, not even the police,” a security officer based at the Moyale police station told the Standard as he prepared for the counter attack. But by 10am, police were yet to respond. There are currently parts of the road between Moyale and Marsabit where a Gabra cannot pass and others where a Borana will be killed. This morning, the handful of vehicles that attempted to leave the town unsuccessfully were not carrying people from the ‘hostile’ communities depending on the destination of the vehicles. “The militias seem keen to stop movement on the road. It is only recently that we have seen them turn on the motorists, cutting off sections of the road. Mostly the fights were in the wilderness,” the officer said. It is also feared that the militia may be targeting to take hostage of some manyattas. Locals say the militias are increasingly getting emboldened due to the slow response of police. This has been seen them hit close to town. The Gabra- Borana conflict has seen more than 800 households displaced, several houses torched over the past six months.  The Standard has learnt that all the five communities have their own militia to protect them from ‘external aggression’ in what is making reconciliation initiatives fail to take off. “We have plans to take opinion leaders and village elders of the warring communities to a neutral place like Isiolo to allow them to talk to one another and call truce,” Mr John Kipsiwa, the Assistant County Commissioner said in an interview.Most area politicians have fled Moyale as the conflict comes closer to the town.  But it is the renewed conflict that over the past one week that has left security officers overwhelmed. About ten buses have been grounded with hundreds of passengers stranded at the border town. Moyale borders Ethiopia town and it is a major gateway into Marsabit County and the rest of the North eastern region. Locals blame politics and a land dispute as the causes of conflict that has also seen several cars burnt. This comes at a time when parts of Turkana County have been under attack in a new trend where militia cut off roads, locking out supplies and traders from moving into and out of particular places.
Read more at: http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/?articleID=2000099374&story_title=armed-militia-attack-moyale-cut-off-link-to-ethiopia-or-kenya&pageNo=2

200 head of cattle stolen from Ethiopia returned - YouTube

200 head of cattle stolen from Ethiopia returned - YouTube: ""

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Kenyan, Somali forces kill 30 Al Shabaab terrorists in joint operation | Firstpost

Kenyan, Somali forces kill 30 Al Shabaab terrorists in joint operation Nov 3, 2013 #al Shabaab #Islamic militancy #Kenya #NewsTracker #Somalia #Terrorism 100 1 CommentEmailPrint Nairobi: At least 30 Al Shabaab militants were killed by joint Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and Somalia National Army (SNA) near the Kenyan border on Saturday, Kenya’s military officials said. The Somali and Kenyan soldiers attacked the militants’ hideout in Kolbio in southern Somalia, Xinhua quoted Kenya Defence Forces spokesman Major Emmanuel Chirchir as saying. Al Shabaab terrorists killed several people in a Nairobi mall recently. AP “Somali National Army killed over 30 Al Shabaab militants in Kolbio, close to Kenya border,” Chirchir tweeted, adding that seven AK-47 were recovered from the hideout. “The raid was part of AMISOM operational plan for sustained offensive operations against Al Shabaab,” he said. The latest onslaught comes after KDF confirmed Thursday that they had destroyed a training camp used by members of Al Shabaab who attacked an upscale shopping mall in Kenya’s capital Nairobi Sep 21. KDF spokesman Colonel Cyrus Oguna said the camp, located about 50 km east of Binswor in southern Somalia, was the main target because most of the militants who attacked the Westgate mall in Nairobi received training at the camp. “It was not possible to verify how many militants who were killed during the attack in Binswor on Thursday since the area was sealed off. What I can confirm is that four technicals (military trucks) were destroyed,” Oguna said. The attack at the Westgate shopping mall left at least 70 people dead. Forensic experts are still carrying out investigations to establish those behind the attack. Sources said more than 300 Al Qaeda allied terror group’s recruits were at the camp at the time of the attack and that many of them are believed to have been killed. IANS

Read more at: http://www.firstpost.com/world/kenyan-somali-forces-kill-30-al-shabaab-terrorists-in-joint-operation-1208891.html?utm_source=hp-footer