Daily
Nation - Letters
Sunday, January 28, 2001
The recent incident in which Kenyans were killed by a foreign
militia at Oiltipe Manyatta in Uran Division of Moyale on the
Ethiopian border calls for comment. The militia, believed to
be members of Ethiopia's People's Liberation Front (EPLF), were
in pursuit of members of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) in
the region.
They
ended up terrorising innocent Kenyan civilians and fugitive
Somalis. We suspect they had logistical support from Addis.
Several police officers and civilians were killed, while many
more are still missing.
This
mayhem came as a surprise to Moyale residents. These militias
were aided with intelligence, food and shelter by some Kenyans.
Charity
begins at home. Our Government, which sends troops to other
countries on peacekeeping missions, has failed to stop the
slaughter of its own citizens by the militias from Ethiopia
and Somalia.
The
Government doesn't value the lives of pastoralists. It should
choose between losing northern Kenya to bandits and foreign
militias or sustaining security in the region.
Any
government has a duty to protect people and property. We appeal
to ours to do the following measures:
*Suspend
its diplomatic ties with Ethiopia;
*Ask
Ethiopia to compensate Kenyans for the lives and property
destroyed;
*Deploy
Army personnel permanently on the Ethiopian border; and
*Set
up an independent inquiry into the killings.
Da
Ware Gudda,
Isiolo.
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