Communities in Tana River County urged to halt retaliatory attacks, embrace peace

Coast Regional Commissioner (RC) Rhoda Onyancha has called upon the warring communities in Bhangal Sub-county of Tana River County to embrace peace.

Speaking at the Bhangal Sub-county headquarters in Madogo during a two-day tour of the troubled areas of Anole, KBC mast, and Nanighi, the RC stated that community elders, peace committees, and local chiefs should immediately embark on conflict resolution to end the existing tension and the intra-clan feud that has claimed five lives in two weeks.

"We, as community elders who have been actively engaged in peacebuilding during such incidents, call upon them, with the help of the peace committees and chiefs, to initiate peace talks that will resolve the existing conflict," she said.

Onyancha, who led the Coast regional security team to assess the situation, urged the communities displaced by the clashes to return to their homes.

"We have deployed enough security personnel to the affected areas; we call upon the displaced families to return to their homes," she said.

She warned the warring communities to refrain from retaliatory attacks during times of conflict and instead report any cases of killing to the security team without seeking revenge, thereby preventing further escalation of tension and conflict in the neighbourhoods.

George Sede, Coast Regional Police Commander. (Issa Hussein)

George Sede, Coast Regional Police Commander, also appealed to the warring communities to cooperate with the security personnel deployed in the troubled areas.

"Kindly let us cooperate with the security personnel to share information on any threats and suspicious characters that are likely to cause harm," he urged.

The police commander stated that security organs were investigating those involved in the killings of the five individuals and that the culprits would soon be apprehended.

He warned residents against protecting suspects identified as being involved in the killings.

Daud Loka, a community elder in Madogo. (Issa Hussein)

Daud Loka, a community elder in Madogo, informed the security regional team that displaced families were suffering after being forced to seek refuge with relatives in Madogo, Bangal, Garissa, and Nairobi.

He stated that some affected families have children who were to sit the upcoming Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations, and their fate is uncertain as they fear returning home.

The conflict began on October 4, with a shooting in the Anole area that resulted in two deaths. A retaliatory attack later that day in Nanighi Village and the KBC mast area led to the deaths of three more individuals and several houses being burnt to ashes.

Two days ago, Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja released a statement indicating that the National Police Service (NPS), in partnership with the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), has intensified security operations in the region to restore calm and prevent further escalation.