“More than 20 people have died today (Wednesday) alone and fighting is still on,” Marsabit Governor Ukur Yattani told the Nation on phone.
Contacted, local OCPD Nehemiah Lagat could not confirm nor deny the number of those killed only saying he was in a meeting and that he would talk to the Nation later.
Mr Lagat and other leaders were holed up in a meeting Wednesday afternoon to try and resolve the matter.
Mr Yattani said two people, including a minor were injured when in the fresh fighting in the volatile Moyale on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, the fighting escalated to within a radius of 40 kilometres from Moyale Town.
WARRING GROUPS
Three other people were killed on Sunday and a similar number last Friday at Funan-Nyata, some 30 kilometres from Moyale Town.
Earlier, Mr Yattani had said local leaders including the county commissioner, senator, MPs, county women representative and county assembly representatives were holed up in a hotel where they were meeting to find a solution to the persistent skirmishes.
He said leaders from the county had converged at Al Yusra Hotel to “try and talk to the warring groups but we are marooned here".
"Some MPs are still on the way coming,” Mr Yattani said.
Speaking to the Nation on phone, Mr Yattani said there was little help from security personnel to contain the attacks.
“We are getting very little help from security personnel,” Mr Yattani said.
He said fighting was going on in Moyale Town during the phone interview.
“Shops are being looted and houses burnt. The entire area is on fire. The fighting is ongoing and we are unable to get right information on injuries as we are unable to venture outside until calm resumes,” Mr Yattani said.
Mr Yattani has said political rivalry is to blame for fuelling inter-clan conflict in Marsabit county.
He said the underlying problem was political competition.
MARGINALISED
“The last General elections held on March 4 left us more divided because one community lost in all county seats,” said Mr Yattani.
The governor said the community sees itself as marginalised and having no stake in the affairs of the county.
But as a way of uniting the communities, the governor said he has incorporated all communities in all levels of the county government.
“We have already done that, we have shared out positions equally, even the people who did not vote for us were given cabinet positions, and they even got the largest share of county positions,” said Mr Yattani.
Other sources however blamed a website which calls for the secession of parts of North Eastern for rising tension in the region.
The website has a map that shows a new region called Gaareland republic which stretches from Isiolo, Moyale, Wajir and Mandera to parts of Ethiopia.
The deadly conflict between the warring communities in the region has so far caused the death of more than 100 people since last year and displaced hundreds.
- Daily Nation
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