Inter-communal violence kills 310 in Kenya in 2015

At least 310 people lost their lives and some 216,294 others displaced in inter-ethnic violence in northern Kenya regions between January to June 30, the UN humanitarian agency said Wednesday.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement released in Nairobi that violent inter-communal conflicts continued to be widespread in northern Rift Valley.

"From Jan. 1 to June 30, 310 people lost their lives, 195 were injured and 216,294 had been displaced as a result of unresolved border conflicts, cattle rustling and revenge attacks, competition over land and water resources and political conflict," OCHA said.

The statement said the worst hit regions are in northern counties of Turkana, Baringo, Samburu, Marsabit and Isiolo, particularly between the Pokot and Turkana communities as well as the Samburu and Turkana communities, such as the Nadome incidents in May which killed 100 people.

In Kenya, land conflicts are the major cause of bloodshed where in some instances they erupt with a ferocity and mind-numbing regularity, as they assume an ethnic angle.

From the Kenyan coast to the northern parts of the country, violence destroys property and displaces thousands in its wake as pastoralist communities decimate each other over grazing rights and water for their livestock.

OCHA said the number of attacks on civilians by armed opposition groups (AOG) in the first quarter was lower compared to the three previous quarters of 2014, including a significant decline in the number of attacks on the Coast.

The second quarter saw an increased number of attacks, particularly in Garissa and Lamu counties, including an attack on Garissa University on April 2 killing 148 persons.

"Overall this has reduced humanitarian space and increased operating risks for non-local staff in north-eastern areas," the UN humanitarian agency said.

It said humanitarian access and delivery of essential basic social services has been significantly constrained by continuous inter-communal conflict and AOG attacks, especially in northern, eastern and coast regions.

Livestock herding is the main livelihood and source of income in northern and some parts of eastern Kenya, and the hike in cattle thefts threatens to ignite cross-community reprisals and raids that could set the stage for a surge in ethnic fighting in the region.

Settled Kenyan communities that live in regions bordering the pastoral areas of northeastern and eastern Kenya have complained that cattle rustling incidents are surging during drought periods.