LOCAL NEWS – 05.08.2011 - By Zacheaus Otaba - Marille raiders snatch 8 lives in Todonyang

Marille raiders today attacked Todonyang village and killed 8 people, injured 3 and made away with more than three hundred animals. Speaking over the phone today, the OCPD for Turkana North Mr. Ben Nyakwaka said that the victims were watering their animals in lake Turkana at 01.00pm, when the incident occurred.
The deceased were only women including one infant while one man and two women sustained bullet injuries in the neck and bellies. This takes place only four days after the prime minister and his convoy visited the area early this week. The injured are to be moved to lodwar district hospital for more treatment.
The number of deaths through the same hands has tolled up to more 40 this year only, after more than 30 scummed bullets in April this year.

LOCAL NEWS – 4.05.2011 – 26 PEOPLE DIE SENSELESSLY IN TODONYANG

After months of peace and prosperity, Dassanech gunmen attacked the Turkana fishermen at the beach of Todonyang killing Robert Petabong and injuring badly Julius Loudi. The two were the elders of Todonyang Community. They had gone to secure their nets, which they had left overnight.
After battling with the Dassanech gunmen and killing one, the now armed villagers returned to the Todonyang Church Compound where they have been living as displaced people for the last two years, and killed 4 Dassanach in cold blood. Some other Dassanech were rescued while two run back to their villages in Ethiopia.
In recent times the two communities have been living and trading together. We knew that there were many Turkanas in the Dassanech villages as they had gone to buy Sorghum and other goods in the barter trade that has been going on. But news had reached the Dassanach Village of Sies (Lotira) that their own had been killed at the Church compound. This led to some youth to trick the about 20 turkanas who were at the village buying and selling, to escort them to safety only to gun them down about 1 kms from the Todonyang Police Post. We were shocked to see the bodies littering all over the plains. This was a massacre. Only one lady survived with serious gun wounds after hours under sun pretending to be dead! While one Turkana was kept safe in a manyatta of his Dassanech friends while the onslaught took place.
The Catholic Church in the area mobilised forces and went around other villages of Toltale, Gabite, Koro and rounded up 45 Turkanas that were kept safe in these villages by the local elders, bringing them back to Todonyang Mission.
26 people lost their lives senselessly today: 21 Turkanas and 5 Dassanech. Unless both government administrations and security forces get really involved in tackling the situation of the peoples living at our borders, we are yet to see more attacks in the coming weeks.

LOCAL NEWS – 26.04.2010 - Security Tightened at Kenya-Ethiopia Border. By Peter Okoth.

Security has been beefed up on the Kenya-Ethiopia border in Turkana North District. This follows the killing of two people by raiders suspected be Merille from Ethiopia. Turkana North District Commissioner Jack Obuo has said that suspected Merille raiders attacked Meyan village and shot dead two women before fleeing with unknown number of animals. Meawhile, security team and elders from the two countries are scheduled hold a joint meeting to ease rising tension between the two communities following the sporadic attacks. Mr Obuo said the meeting would be held at Kangateng in Ethiopia to quell the attacks caused by scarcity of water and pasture. The incident follows the killing of a senior General Service Unit (GSU) three months ago when Kenyan security forces attempted to repulse Merille pastoralists.