Suspected Ethiopian militia attack Kenyan fishermen on Lake Turkana

An unconfirmed number of people were killed on Saturday evening in the Kenya-Ethiopia border area of Todonyang in Turkana County in an ambush attack by suspected militia from the Ethiopian Dassanech community.

It is reported that heavily armed Dassanech militia ambushed and indiscriminately sprayed bullets at Turkana fishermen fishing in Lake Turkana near River Omo.

Authorities say they are yet to ascertain the number of casualties, which some reports have placed at over a dozen.

On Sunday afternoon, the National Police Service said it was probing “an alleged clash between Turkana and Dasanach fishermen at Lopemukat Common Waters” along the border, while Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen acknowledged “a problem” in the area and said “some Kenyans were harmed.”

“Some of our citizens are unaccounted for and we are working with the Ethiopian government and the Kenya Defence Forces to solve this border issue. There should be no cause for alarm… calm has returned in the area,” Murkomen added.

Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo said the attack happened near the border on Ethiopia’s side.

“Ignore the numbers being peddled; that is not the correct position,” Omollo added. “We will share official information once we confirm everything.”

Some reports say the attack was retaliatory after suspected Turkana bandits reportedly shot dead Dassanech fishermen from Ethiopia near River Omo on Saturday morning.