26 suspects linked to North Horr clashes

Authorities have launched a manhunt for 26 individuals linked to a deadly conflict between two pastoralist communities in North Horr Constituency, Marsabit County, that left four men dead and a woman nursing gunshot wounds.

The clashes, rooted in long-standing tensions between the Gabra and Wayu ethnic groups, reportedly erupted after two missing Gabra youths were found dead in Qorta.

In a suspected retaliatory attack, assailants targeted a Manyatta belonging to the Wayu community on Sunday night, killing two men and injuring a woman.

Marsabit County Commissioner James Kamau, addressing the press after a security meeting, cautioned residents against taking the law into their own hands and revealed that security officers are pursuing individuals suspected of inciting and sponsoring the violence, including a senior government official and a Member of County Assembly from the region.

Kamau emphasized that detectives have been assigned to swiftly record statements from the suspects and track their movements.

The commissioner, flanked by County Police Commander Lenard Kimaiyo and County Executive Member for Devolution and Cohesion Amina Challa, noted that several homes in Dukana Sub-County were torched during the unrest, forcing families to seek shelter at the Dukana Police Station and a nearby Border Patrol Unit camp.

Assuring residents of ongoing efforts to restore calm, Kamau urged all communities in the region to foster peaceful coexistence and warned politicians against incitement and divisive rhetoric.

Challa echoed these sentiments, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding hard-won peace and urging security agencies to bring perpetrators to justice.

She noted the county government’s intention to provide humanitarian assistance to displaced families and called on well-wishers to contribute to the cause.

Meanwhile, local leaders, including Nuria Gollo of the Marsabit Women Advocacy for Development Organization (MWADO), condemned the violence.

She urged communities to respond to conflict with restraint and compassion, stressing that women and children often suffer the most during such upheavals. Gollo also called for swift arrests to deter future attacks.