Kenyan Army Steps In As Cattle Rustling Turns Lethal

Kenyan army steps in as cattle rustling turns lethal
By Meera Selva, Africa Correspondent
Published: 23 July 2005

Kenya's northern borders are becoming a battleground as local warriors and soldiers fight pitched battles with hundreds of Ugandan and Ethiopian cattle rustlers trying to steal livestock and weapons.

In the latest incident, warriors from the Turkana tribe, assisted by the Kenyan army, killed 40 members of a band of 200 marauding Ugandans, who crept into Kenya on Tuesday night to attack and rob the Turkana community.

The massacre was one of an alarming series of rustling incidents that have turned the arid lands of northern Kenya into a virtual war zone. Although cattle rustling has a long history in the region, the increasingly ferocious battles taking place have forced the Kenyan government to seek a military solution to the problem, sending army units to the traditionally neglected north-east.

Last week, more than 70 Kenyans, including 22 schoolchildren, were killed when warriors crossed into north-east Kenya from Ethiopia to steal cattle and seek revenge for earlier attacks. In both incidents, the wounded had to be taken several miles down dirt roads to the nearest medical facilities.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa/article300980.ece

This obviously fits into the Gabra/Borana conflict from before, and it would be interesting to know which side's involved in spreading the conflict to the Turkana.