Turkana attacked again in Uganda

Barely after migrating with their livestock to Uganda in search of pasture and water in the wake of the biting drought and famine, the Turkana herders were attacked by Jie warriors and in the ensuing cross-fire 4 Turkanas were shot dead and over 1000 of their livestock were driven away. This attack took place in late August 2004.

This follows another deadly attack on the Turkana by the Dodoth some five months ago for allegedly reneging on an agreement in which the Turkana were supposed to pay 21 bulls to their host (Dodoth) for accessing their grazing recourses.

After the Dodoth attack, Turkana elders had cautioned their tribesmen against moving to Karamoja region of Uganda for fear of being attacked. Ekeno and Napal, both respected Turkana soothsayers, had objected to the migration to Jie land for the two communities are highly suspicious of each other.

However, the biting drought forced the Turkana and their Matheniko cousins to move to Kacheri and Nakepelmoru areas of Jie land. Whereas the Nakapelmoru Jie has been friendly to the Turkana, the ones in Kacheri have been known to frequently attack the Turkana.

On their way to Nakapelmoru from Kacheri, Kotido District, the Turkana and Matheniko entourage were attacked by Jie.

This attack forced the Turkana herders to move quickly to Nakepelmoru hoping that security situation in the area would normalize as they await for short rains in their land so that they go come back.

As we went to press (September 2004), Chiefs from Kenya and Uganda, Adakar elders and civil society groups were planning a tripartite (Turkana, Jie and Matheniko) peace dialogue. Compensation for the slain Turkana, recovery of the stolen livestock and cross-border sharing of grazing resources are expected to top the agenda of the peace talks.