Massacre after Ethiopian militia kill over 20 fishermen in Turkana
At least 20 Kenyan fishermen were massacred night by suspected Ethiopian militiamen in the Todonyang border area along Lake Turkana in Turkana county in a suspected retaliatory attack.
The heavily armed militia from the Dassanech tribe in Ethiopia raided areas along the Kenya-Ethiopia border near the Omo River, spraying bullets indiscriminately at victims fishing during the attack that has since heightened tensions along the border between the two countries.
Local security chiefs confirmed the attack but could not immediately establish the number of deaths while others remain unaccounted for.
Preliminary police findings indicate that the massacre is linked to a retaliatory attack after suspected Turkana bandits from Kenya shot dead three Dassanech fishermen from Ethiopia near the Omo River on Saturday morning.
Survivors said five boats used by Kenyan fishermen on a fishing expedition were attacked when the Dassanech tribesmen ambushed the Turkana fishermen.
The assailants are also said to have seized the boats and fishing gear and escaped to the Ethiopian side.
The river where the incident happened extends from Ethiopia where the fishermen had ventured.
Tension had been growing in the area in the past weeks following the sighting of gunmen from Ethiopia. They were seeking revenge, officials said.
Kenyan marine security officers deployed to patrol Lake Turkana said darkness hampered the operation to pursue the attackers and recover the stolen boats and fishing gear.
Todonyang is one of the fertile fishing grounds along the border between the two countries, but remains a battleground for Kenyan and Ethiopian fishermen.
