20111023
Reuters
ISIOLO, Kenya (Reuters) - Fighting between pastoralists over grazing land in drought-ravaged northern Kenya killed five people on Saturday, officials said, the latest in a string of deadly clashes this year.

Cattle rustling and clashes over grazing land and water are relatively common among pastoralist communities in the dry patches of east Africa and often escalate into revenge attacks.

Witnesses said several grass-thatched houses were burned in fighting between the Borana and Somali ethnic communities against the Turkana on the outskirts of the northern town of Isiolo.

The fighting has forced hundreds of families to flee the villages and grazing areas around Isiolo, home to four military camps Kenya is using in its cross-border military operations against Somalia.

Police commander Augustine Nthumbi said five people were killed in fighting on Saturday, and seven people were killed the previous day in similar ethnic clashes in the neighbouring Samburu district. Last week another seven people were killed in Marrum village, 25 km (15 miles) away from Isiolo.

"We have deployed a strong team of security officers to the affected areas ... and we hope to contain the situation but we expect the local leaders to help us too," Nthumbi said.

The clashes have disrupted the flow of goods from Kenya's capital city Nairobi to southern Ethiopia.

Fighting over cattle, land and water in arid northern Kenya has increased dramatically in recent months and aid agencies predict the situation is likely to worsen as the drought persists.