Kenyan leader orders disarmament amid inter-ethnic clashes

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday ordered disarmament in the northern region of the East African country to stop inter-tribal clashes which have so far left more than 50 people dead and dozens of others injured. Kenyatta warned of stern action against perpetrators of hostilities in Mandera and Wajir which has fueled hostilities between the Garreh and Degodia clans. "If the hostilities do not end, we will have no otherwise but to move in with full force," President Kenyatta said in Nairobi when he met political leaders from Mandera and Wajir to discuss the conflict between the Garreh and Degodia clans. He said his government will engage the Ethiopian government to ensure the peaceful co-existence of all communities along the common border, adding that the killings of innocent children, women and the elderly cannot be tolerated. In 2008, the government was forced to use the military to quell bloody clashes that claimed more than 40 people and displaced thousands of others in Mandera-East district residents. The two clans, both having presence in the region bordering Ethiopia, are accusing each other of hiring militias across the border to be engaged in the killings. The Kenyan leader's warning comes as the death toll from Sunday's grenade attack in the northern county of Mandera rose to 16. Seven others are still in critical condition. Tension still lingers in the area with reports suggesting groups were gathering to retaliate. Officials said the attack in Banisa happened as the locals gathered to be addressed by the local administrators on the need to maintain peace. Relief agencies say political competition for positions in the newly restructured seats in the legislature and administrative posts which were created in a new constitution that Kenya adopted in 2010 is causing the violence. Residents say the problem in the area is purely political and that some militiamen have taken advantage of the situation to terrorize the area. "There is a feeling the Degodia were deliberately locked out of the elective posts in the March 4 general election. This has spread to Ethiopia where the clans also live and it is becoming a major issue," a senior officer in the area who sought anonymity said. On Monday, Kenyatta directed the immediate surrender and mop up of illegal arms, warning that if peace is not restored, the government will have no choice but to mount an all-out security operation that may have unintended consequences. The President also warned chiefs (local government officials) in Mandera and Wajir counties that they will be held responsible if they fail to take action and provide adequate and timely information that will help in containing acts of breach of peace. Kenyatta said he expects the leaders from both communities to impress on the two clans to co-exist peacefully as Kenyans, adding that the people who perpetrate the hostilities live among the communities. The President added that the government will accord the leaders all the necessary facilitation required in ending the hostilities and directed the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and Coordination of National Government, Joseph Ole Lenku to immediately take the necessary steps in this regard. Analysts say the feuding pastoralist communities in Kenya's north and southeast where clashes have been occurring have easy access to illegal weapons since the regions are close to porous borders with neighboring countries that are either war-torn or are emerging from conflict. The conflict over natural resources especially access and utilization of the waters of the River Tana has also been contentious for a while, leading to frequent clashes by pastoralists and farmers in the County. Speaking during the meeting, the leaders who included the lawmakers, Senators and governors among others, briefed the President on the outcome of peace meetings which have been ongoing. The leaders said that in their earlier meetings, they resolved that the hostilities between the two clans should cease immediately and each community must restrain its members from perpetrating any more acts of violence, failure to which will lead to a communal fine of 116,000 U.S. dollars. The leaders said they had also agreed that payment of blood compensation (diyya) should commence with immediate effect and there should be peace without preconditions. They also resolved that they must all take responsibility of their areas in the promotion of peace, equity, fairness and justice. The leaders assured the President that they will convene more meetings and promote dialogue among the two communities with a view to ending the conflict.