The Kenyan government has greatly strengthened the security of its border with Ethiopia, where additional troops have been deployed, after an attack by armed men, which the authorities described as a border conflict. At least 22 people are still missing.
Kenya’s Interior Minister, Kipchumba Murkomen, said on Monday that the Kenyan government is working closely with Ethiopian authorities to find the missing people.
According to the Governor of Turkana, Jeremiah Lomorukai, Ethiopian fishermen on Saturday clashed with their Kenyan counterparts who were fishing in the Omo River. Local authorities confirmed that 15 boats were missing.
Turkana police said on Sunday that 22 Kenyan fishermen are missing, while 15 boats have been stolen. Meanwhile, six fishermen belonging to the Dasenech tribe in Ethiopia were rescued and sent back to their country.
On the Ethiopian side, at least 13 people died, while three others were injured in the conflict, as announced on Monday by Dasenech district governor, Tadele Hatte.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Interior, Raymond Omollo, on Sunday warned the media and the public against spreading unverified news, noting that security issues cannot be exaggerated with false news.
The Turkana community in Kenya and the Dassanech tribe in Ethiopia share an economy based on animal husbandry and fishing.
The areas affected by the violence are prone to conflict as members of the two ethnic groups often fight over resources such as grazing land and fishing.
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