Kenya imposes curfew in clash area

Three more people were feared dead early yesterday in the coastal region of Tana River in southeast Kenya after 38 others were massacred on Monday, a humanitarian agency said.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Three more people were feared dead early yesterday in the coastal region of Tana River in southeast Kenya after 38 others were massacred on Monday, a humanitarian agency said.The Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) said it witnessed fresh attacks early on affecting Semikaro, Laini, Nduru and Shirikisho villages of Tana Delta where the two farming and pastoral communities have been feuding over natural resources."Hundreds of attackers have regrouped and the attack is ongoing with houses on fire and people fleeing. The humanitarian situation is becoming more and more dire as KRCS continues to respond,” KRCS spokesperson Nelly Muluka said on Tuesday."We are not giving out any death toll until our team including the police have verified,” Muluka told Xinhua by telephone on Tuesday.The latest killings came hour after Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki ordered a night curfew in the area and deployment of more police officers in a bid to curb more deaths.Kibaki who also condemned the ongoing massacre ordered security agencies to take firm and decisive action against those behind the violence in a bid to restore law and order in the troubled region."The killing of innocent women, children, men and security officials is a heinous crime and the perpetrators must be punished accordingly for their outright disregard for the sanctity of human life property,” he said in a statement issued on Monday evening.He said the government has invoked Part 3 of the Preservation of Public Security Act in respect of the affected areas of Tana River County and directed the declaration and maintenance of a dusk-to-dawn curfew among other measures to be published in a gazette notice.