KENYA: Suspected Ethiopian Militia Attack Kenyan Fishermen Near Lake Turkana

By Lisbeth Micheni, Kenya 

Several Kenyan fishermen were reportedly killed on Saturday evening, following an ambush at the Kenya-Ethiopia border in Todonyang, Turkana County.

The attackers, believed to be armed members of the Ethiopian Dassanech community, opened fire indiscriminately on the fishermen near River Omo in Lake Turkana.

Authorities have yet to confirm the number of casualties, though initial reports suggest it could be more than a dozen.

The National Police Service announced on Sunday that they were investigating a confrontation between Turkana and Dassanech fishermen at Lopemukat Common Waters.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen acknowledged that Kenyan citizens had been harmed, and stated that officials were working with Ethiopian authorities and the Kenya Defence Forces to address the situation.

Meanwhile, Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo, indicated that the attack took place near the border on Ethiopia’s side.

He urged the public to disregard unofficial casualty figures, promising that the government would release verified information once the investigation was complete.

Some sources claim the violence was in retaliation for an earlier incident on Saturday morning, when suspected Turkana bandits allegedly shot and killed Dassanech fishermen from Ethiopia near River Omo.

Authorities are continuing their probe into the matter.