By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Authorities from Kenya and Ethiopia met on Sunday to seek a lasting solution to a brewing diplomatic dispute at the main border in Turkana, following the killing of at least 20 fishermen in the area.
At least 15 boats, a gun, and other equipment were recovered from the Omo River after the deadly attack in Lopeimukay and Lotiira areas on Saturday, local authorities said.
Some of the recovered bodies had been taken to the local mortuary, while the search continued for at least 20 more people after the attack, which is believed to have been carried out by Dassanech gunmen, an ethnic group largely residing in Ethiopia.
The meeting, which lasted until late Sunday, ended with calls for greater efforts to resolve the standoff.
The attack on Kenyan fishermen followed an earlier incident in which three Ethiopians had been killed, officials said.
This prompted the Dassanech group to retaliate. Witnesses reported that some of the Kenyan fishermen drowned in the chaos.
On Sunday afternoon, Kenya’s National Police Service said it was investigating “an alleged clash between Turkana (Kenya) and Dassanech (Ethiopia) fishermen at Lopemukat Common Waters” along the border. Meanwhile, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen acknowledged “a problem” in the area and confirmed that “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 resolve this border issue. There should be no cause for alarm… calm has returned to the area,” Murkomen said.
Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo stated that the attack occurred near the border, on the Ethiopian side.
Tension remained high in the area, with additional security personnel deployed.
Turkana North MP Ekwom Nabuin reported disturbing accounts of more than 20 fishermen being killed in the Todonyang area of Lake Turkana by the Dassanech of Ethiopia.
“The numbers could be higher. The situation is extremely bad—rescuers must act swiftly to secure our people. The massacre is happening on Kenyan soil, occupied by well-armed Ethiopian militias (Dassanech),” he said in a statement.
The attackers fled soon after the incident. Multi-agency teams visited the scene and confirmed that efforts to track down the perpetrators were ongoing.
