Tension high in Tana Delta as 38 killed
- In Monday’s raid, the attackers, estimated at between 200 and 300 strong, first struck at a police post.
- 38 killed included nine police officers from the GSU, AP, and regular police, and 29 civilians.
- There have been allegations of oathing in the Tana Delta, especially among farmers in Kipini.
- The oathing is also linked to sympathisers of the Mombasa Republican Council, who are said to have been trying to make inroads into the Tana Delta.
President Kibaki on Monday night ordered a
dawn to dusk curfew in clashes-hit Tana Delta District after nine police
officers and 29 villagers were killed in the latest tit-for-tat
massacres.
The President invoked the Preservation of Public
Security Act and directed the declaration and maintenance of a curfew
among other measures to be published in a gazette notice.
In the meantime, additional detachments of
security forces have been sent to the area. The Head of State condemned
the killings and ordered security agencies to take firm and decisive
action against those behind the skirmishes.
“The killings of innocent women, children, men and
security officials is a heinous crime and the perpetrators must be
punished accordingly,” he said, adding:
“The Government will get to the bottom of the
matter. Local leaders must also take a proactive role and preach peace
among area residents.”
In Monday’s raid, the attackers, estimated at
between 200 and 300 strong, first struck at a police post established at
Kilelengwani Primary School in Garsen constituency before pouring into
the nearby Kilelengwani village. (SEE IN PICTURES: Tana River clashes)
They were armed with guns, machetes, spears, bows
and arrows. The security team, drawn from the General Service Unit and
regular police, said the attackers tricked them that they were villagers
fleeing an attack.
When the officers went out to investigate the
calls for help, the raiders opened fire. The officers said the attack on
Kilelengwani, an Orma settlement, was by suspected Pokomos in
retaliation to last week’s raid on Chamwanamuma village where 12 people
were killed.
A witness, Ishmael Jaso, 33, said he was sleeping in his house when the alarm was raised that the village had been attacked.
“When I came out, I saw a huge crowd of more than
500 people surrounding the village. They were torching houses and
shooting people indiscriminately,” Jaso said.
Apart from burning 30 houses and a police Land Rover at Kilelengwani, the raiders also drove away several animals.
There have been allegations of oathing in the Tana Delta, especially among farmers in Kipini. Sources told the Nation on Monday that some youths had taken an oath to protect the community and are believed to have carried out the attacks.
The oathing is also linked to sympathisers of the
Mombasa Republican Council, who are said to have been trying to make
inroads into the Tana Delta.
Police arrested some youths who had tattoos
associated with the oath and charged them in a Garsen court on Monday.
They denied the charges.
Ahadi Gonchoro,68, said he was in Garsen attending
a court session when he was alerted of the attack. “When I came back
the entire village had been razed,” he said. Mzee Gonchoro said the
attack was politically motivated “because it had nothing to do with
pasture or watering points.”
“The Pokomo have harvested their crops so we have
no problem of cattle going into their farms, and there is enough water
to cater for all of us.”
Sixteen men, eight women and five children were
killed. Eight villagers are undergoing treatment at Witu Health Centre.
The Kenya Red Cross said 167 houses were torched.
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