Lake Turkana Warning: 24th Nov 2013
 

Lake Turkana Warning: 24th Nov 2013

Just saw this and thought travellers planning to go this week or month should know about it (not sure where Lorogon is? East or West) as there seems to be some tension up there at the moment:

BBC News - Kenya armed militia 'surround 900 villagers'

"Kenya armed militia 'surround 900 villagers'
Some 900 villagers in Kenya are surrounded by armed militiamen amid a territorial dispute between local communities, officials say.

Gunmen from the Pokot community are reported to have cut off the Turkana village of Lorogon for the last four days.

They attacked three nearby police camps on Saturday.

Kenyan TV reported that mediation talks between the Pokot and the Turkana are due to be held on Sunday.

The regional governor told Kenyan media that the village was facing a humanitarian crisis after being cut off for four days.

"More than 900 people, mostly women and children, cannot go out to look for water and food because they are surrounded by gunmen," Josphat Nanok was quoted by the Kenyan Press Agency as saying.

The National Disasters Operations Centre said the siege "follows a border dispute" between the two sides.

"Police officers and reservists [are] combating the bandits in Turkana, but there is heavy resistance," it said in a tweet.

Clashes between the Turkana and Pokot tribes tend to be over allegations of cattle rustling."

(From memory there is going to be oil drilling up there and the Ethiopians are going to block the Omo river with a dam? So might be over a bit more than the traditional cattle stealing…?)