Military

DATE=3/15/2005

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=KENYA/CLASHES (L-ONLY)

NUMBER=2-323257

BYLINE=CATHY MAJTENYI

DATELINE=NAIROBI

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

HEADLINE: Clan Fighting Claims 30 Lives In Kenya

INTRO: In Kenya, at least 30 people were killed during what police say was a revenge attack against a clan. Cathy Majtenyi has details from Nairobi.

TEXT: According to Kenyan police, before dawn a gang of about 40 militiamen raided Elgolicha village in Mandera District, close to the border with Somalia.

The militiamen killed 22 villagers, mostly women and children, and injured three. Kenyan police pursued the attackers and gunned down eight of them.

Police spokesman Jasper Ombati tells VOA the attack is likely a continuation of conflict between the Murule and Garre clans.

/// OMBATI ACT ///

"(When) these people attacked, it was during the night. Remember, not long ago, the Murules and the Garres - the clans in that area - had skirmishes, and we suspect that this could be a revenge mission."

/// END ACT ///

The Murule and Garre clans, which are both Kenyan Somali, have had a history of fighting. In January, several attacks between the two killed more than 20 people.

At the time, the Kenyan government vowed to prosecute all involved in the fighting and set up peace meetings between the two to avoid further violence.

Local leaders say Inter-clan clashes in the region are part of a long-standing feud between clans in Kenya and Somalia. They have battled for years over access to water and land. (SIGNED)

NEB/CM/RAE/MEM