Lead image for Kenya-Ethiopia border tensions flare again.
A fragile peace along the Kenya-Ethiopia border has come under fresh strain after a Turkana herder was killed and a truck carrying goods and Sh600,000 in cash was waylaid, in what authorities say were retaliatory attacks by suspected militiamen from Ethiopia.
The incidents occurred along the Kibish corridor in Turkana County after a Nyangatom herder from Ethiopia was allegedly killed by Turkana peace spoilers who had crossed the border, triggering a retaliatory attack on Kenyan territory.
Kibish Deputy County Commissioner Tom Otieno said the incidents had disrupted an area that had remained largely peaceful, with authorities from both countries now working to contain the situation.
"The incident triggered the insecurity along the border that has been very peaceful. Peace spoilers from Kokuro village are the ones who crossed over to Ethiopia to raid and kill a Nyangatom herder, resulting in the isolated incidents in Kibish. We are trying to manage the situation in coordination with Ethiopian authorities," Mr Otieno said.
He said retaliatory attacks were likely whenever one community felt aggrieved, unless residents on both sides of the border restrained themselves and upheld peaceful coexistence.
Mr Otieno said authorities had organised joint dialogue and several community engagements to pacify the area and prevent isolated incidents from escalating into wider conflict.
"There are a few thugs at the border that, as authorities from both countries, we will deal with. It is not communities fighting against each other but individuals who are hell-bent on spoiling peaceful coexistence between the border locals," he said.
Read: Militia attack aftermath: Police ban fishing without security in Turkana