Baku-APA. At least 477 Kenyans have been killed and several others displaced since January 2012 when inter- communal clashes begun in Tana Delta, south east region , the UN humanitarian agency said, APA reports quoting Xinhua.
The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its January bulletin received on Saturday that humanitarian response is ongoing in affected areas of Tana Delta due to resource based conflict in the southeast Kenya.
"In December and January, renewed clashes occurred in the Tana Delta region, bringing the total number of deaths as a result of inter-communal, resource based conflict, to at least 477 people since January 2012," OCHA said in the report received on Saturday.
Since August 2012, over 187 people have been killed and 34,417 displaced from clashes between Pokomo and Orma communities in Tana Delta District. Attacks reported on Dec. 21, 2012 in Kipao village claimed 49 lives, including six women and 13 children.
"Some 41 people were critically injured, of whom 35 were airlifted. In a separate incident, at least 7 people were killed and many injured on Jan. 9," the bulletin said.
The inter-tribal clashes in August and September last year was the culmination of smaller-scale attacks, cattle raids and counterattacks since January 2012 between the ethnic Pokomo and Orma communities.
Tension remains high in the area following the new attacks last week between settled farmers and semi-nomadic Orma pastoralists who have clashed sporadically for years over access to grazing, farmland and water in the coastal region.
According to OCHA, on Jan. 10, 11 people were killed and 13 others injured in Kibisu village, adding that displacement is affecting both communities.
Kenyan authorities have beefed up security in the region with the deployment of more police officers to help contain feuding Pokomo and Orma communities.
"A multi-agency Kenya Initial Rapid Assessment (KIRA) mission, conducted from Jan. 1 to 4, sampled five sites with displaced people from both August/September and December 2012 clashes," the report said.
In support of the local response efforts, the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS), MSF and Action Aid have been providing additional assistance for sectors such as protection, food and non-food items, livelihoods, health and WASH mainly for children under age 5, the elderly, breastfeeding mothers and pregnant women, women with children and the displaced population in general.
"Given the ongoing situation in the area, displaced communities indicated to the KIRA mission that they would not be willing to return to their homes prior to the March elections," the report said.
Kenyan authorities have solely linked the attacks to politicians who are inciting locals and funding militia to carry out the attacks.
Tension and rivalry between Pokomo and Orma communities which have been ongoing for decades resulted into more deaths people and over 5,000 displacements since August 2012.
The majority of the displaced were living within host communities where they felt less vulnerable than those who have been displaced to camp-like settings.
However, there is considerable concern that the capacity of host families to continue hosting the displaced over a longer period is minimal, with base-line poverty level being very high.
The most recent clashes started on Dec. 21, 2012, when a group of ethnic Pokomo, armed with spears and firearms, raided a village belonging to the Orma people in the pre-dawn hours of Dec. 21, 2012.
Regional police commander Aggrey Adoli announced that police will change the security strategy in the area following frequent attacks between the two warring communities of Orma pastoralist and Pokomo farmers.
The attack came as contingents of police continued to patrol the area following the August and December clashes that killed more than 150 people including nine police officers.
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