Militiamen attack cars, injure three

By Paul Wafula

Moyale, Kenya: Three people were injured when their vehicles were attacked less than 10km from Moyale town as the Gabra-Borana conflict intensified.

The fighting entered its seventh day yesterday and continued to disrupt transport in the border town.

The three people were admitted in Moyale District Hospital. Gunshots could be heard from Moyale town from 7.30am until 9am.

“The militias have thrown at least three grenades this morning. They are well armed and we cannot go after them blindly.

They are spraying everyone, even the police,” a security officer based at the Moyale police station told The Standard as he prepared for a counter-attack. However, by 10am, police were yet to respond.

The situation is volatile and there are sections of road between Moyale and Marsabit where Gabras cannot pass and other areas where Boranas fear for their lives.

Yesterday morning, a few vehicles that attempted to leave the town –  unsuccessfully – did not carry people from the ‘hostile’ communities depending on the vehicles’ destination.

 “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. The fights were mostly in the wilderness,” the officer said.

Locals say the militias are getting increasingly bold because of the slow response by security agencies.

The Gabra-Borana conflict has seen more than 800 residents displaced and several houses torched over the past six months.

The conflict, however, has taken a brutal turn in the last week.