Kenya : Kenyans flee Ethiopian border for fear of clashes after gun attack

Kenyans flee Ethiopian border for fear of clashes after gun attack By Lucas Ngasike Updated Sun, August 14th 2016 at 00:00 GMT +3 SHARE THIS ARTICLE PHOTO: COURTESY Kenyans are fleeing the Ethiopian border for fear of a clash between the Dassanach community of Ethiopia and the Turkana following the killing of an elder last month. Ethiopian elder Lobakate Lobolemai was shot dead on July 31 by a Turkana gunman during a church service in Turkana North Sub-county. The attacker stormed the church and selectively shot Lobolemai. The elder had crossed to Kenya with members of Dassanach Catholic Church from Koro and Omorate villages in South Omo, Ethiopia, to attend the 10th anniversary of Our Lady of Peace Todonyang Catholic Mission at the border point. The Ethiopian authorities gave Kenya a week, which ended last week, to produce the suspect in court. Members of the Dassanach community threatened an unspecified action if the assailant is not apprehended. This killing is likely to disrupt a peace accord between the two communities, which ended several years of bloody conflicts along the border. “We are troubled by this incident. We fear the Dassanach community will retaliate. The suspect has spoiled peace that we have been enjoying in this region. Tension is now high between the communities,” said Todonyang resident Osman Eleman. READ MORE Kiraitu tells Munya off, says PNU is in Jubilee Storm as ‘ghost’ CJ approves new code of ethics Gusii leaders face hostile crowd at MCAs burial Mr Eleman said more than 130 have been killed along the border following conflicts between the neighbouring Merille and Turkana communities. Turkana North OCS Francis Siror said they have launched a manhunt for the attacker. “We are using some Turkana elders to trace the suspect. The rough terrain and poor network in the region has frustrated our efforts to trace him, but our search is still on,” Mr Siror said. The Ethiopia Government has sent a protest letter to Kenyan authorities seeking to arrest the suspect. It threatened to take the matter to an international court. Source said the Ethiopian authorities want the suspect arrested and handed over to them for trial. “We the Government of Ethiopia are very sad about the incident, which occurred in Todonyang Mission camp.

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