<
http://www.the-star.co.ke/local/rift-valley/83079-500-fishermen-flee-from-l
ake-turkana-due-to-insecurity> 500 fishermen flee Lake Turkana due to
insecurity
04, July 2012 00:04 BY MATHEWS NDANYI
MORE than 500 fishermen have fled from Lake Turkana following the killing of
three of their colleagues by militiamen from the Merille tribe in Ethiopia.
Fishing activities on the lake have been paralysed following a spate of
attacks in areas on the Kenya-Ethiopia border. Both Kenya and Ethiopia have
deployed security teams to patrol the lake. Clashes between fishermen from
the two countries have, in the last one week, led to the killing of six
people including three Ethiopians. "The situation is under control as at now
but there is still tension on the lake where fishing activities have been
extensively affected," Turkana North DC Albert Mwilitsa said.
Three Kenyan fishermen were attacked and shot dead on the shores of the
lake. Mwilitsa said although tension is high in the area, security teams
deployed on the lake by both countries are working to restore calm. "Fishing
activities cannot flourish with insecurity all over. We have agreed that we
need to jointly restore the security situation so that our people can engage
in commercial fishing activities," Mwilitsa said.
Last week a motor boat belonging to the militiamen was sunk by the Kenyan
fishermen during fighting between fishermen and the militiamen. Mwilitsa
could not confirm reports that the three people killed are security
personnel from Ethiopia. However, he confirmed that a boat was sunk during
the fight. The Lake, which is located on the border between the two
countries, has more than 1,000 fishermen from both countries.
Meanwhile the Immigration ministry has set up two new offices on the border
between Kenya, Ethiopia and South Sudan. The new offices are located at
Kibosh and Todonyang and are aimed at helping facilitate smooth and legal
movement of people and goods across the borders. Mwilitsa said there has
been increased trade activities especially on the border between Kenya and
South Sudan which necessitated the establishment of the Immigration offices.
"Once we have full security on the border there are indications that there
will be a lot of trade between the three countries," Mwlitsa said. A survey
to establish the location of the border between Kenya and Ethiopia is going
on and the government said it will help restore peace among communities
living on the border.
Received on Wed Jul 04 2012 - 13:09:59 EDT
