News
Tension high at Kenya,Ethiopia border
Security officers patrol the Lokichogio-Nadapal-Sudan road. Photo/FILE
Posted Sunday, February 28 2010 at 14:08
Security personnel were on Sunday deployed to the Kenya-Ethiopia border following the death of a senior policeman. Merille bandits are said to have shot the General Service Unit Chief Inspector on Friday evening.
The Turkana Regional Commissioner Christopher Musambu said a team of security officers would assess the security situation in the area and effectively deal with the bandits.
“Additional policemen from Lodwar have been deployed to the area to contain acts of aggression by the Merille attackers,” said Mr Musambu.
“The officer was shot dead following a confrontation with the militia who had re-grouped on the common border of the two countries,” he said, adding that the killing was an act of provocation.
The attack occurred after Merille herdsmen were turned away from grazing their animals on Kenya soil. It is then that they re-grouped before staging an attack against Kenyan security forces which lasted for almost four hours.
According to Mr Musambu, six GSU officers who were said to have gone missing after the attack are now safe and further attempted attacks will be dealt with.
“We did not lose any other personnel apart from the senior GSU officer. Casualties on the militia side remain unknown,” said Mr Musumbu.
He said a security meeting between administrators from the two countries would be held on Monday to discuss how to secure the volatile region that has witnessed cross border attacks in the recent past.
The incident follows the killing of two army men and injury of six others early last month by Toposa militia at Nadapal region on the Kenya-Southern Sudan border.
The army men were killed after their truck was hit by a grenade as they returned to Nadapal from Lokichoggio town.
The Kenya Army and Administration Police have set up bases in Nadapal but frequency of clashes between Kenya security forces and the Toposa militia still remains high.
Todonyang region has also experienced recurrent attacks from Ethiopian Merille militia caused by conflict over water and pasture.
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Submitted by mkaeriPosted March 01, 2010 12:16 PM
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Submitted by wkithi
I really feel sorry for these security guys.They are in the frontlines of enemy fire like sitting ducks and have scant ammunition.They need bulletproof helmets,vests,nightvision googles,grenades,air support(surviellance.Once again, a failure to plan by the concerned govt officils.Always waiting for crises to happen before they can think/act
Posted March 01, 2010 10:06 AM -
Submitted by ConspiracyTheorist
This is one of those few issues that turns me a wee bit fascist. I say we adopt a 3 for 1 doctrine. That our Security Forces must kill 3 of the enemy for every Kenyan they kill, period! That way those 'herdsmen' would know what to expect when they 'raid' our land.
Posted March 01, 2010 09:09 AM -
Submitted by yesuwangu
These are the pure reasons parliament should summon Kibaki and minister for security and even invoke censure motionn due to week national security by the state department.but because its not a PM issue they dont want also to think about kenyan border secuirty on the north south and west.
Posted March 01, 2010 07:09 AM -
Submitted by Mvkuku
The GSU personnel seem to do well in quelling riots by university students and hawkers but cannot fight rag-tag militias from neighbouring countries going by the number of casualties.
Posted March 01, 2010 02:32 AM
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Good people what we have here is a case of neglect, our frontiers are being manned by inadequate police personnel. There is no way a GSU post with less than 50 personnel can withstand an attack by over 500 Merille, what we need are permanent full battalion size army bases, this is the only way we shall be able to deter such attacks. Wake up GOK.