Six Killed, Eight Injured in Fight Over Control of Hilo Gold Mine in Marsabit

At least six people were killed and eight injured in a fight between groups over the control of a gold mine site in Marsabit County.

The Orofani Hilo gold mining in Dabale is near Kenya-Ethiopia and is among many sites that have attracted a huge number of youths who are scavenging for the mineral for a living.

This has caused tension among groups seeking to control the sites with no help from the local authorities.

Officials say the sites have deposits that produce gold worth millions of shillings annually.

The Sunday, Monday and Tuesday skirmishes are the latest in a series that have affected the sites in the area amid calls on authorities to intervene and address the same.

On Tuesday, a boy aged 17 was found with gunshot wounds in a makeshift he was hiding after he had been shot at the mining site by one of the warring groups, police said.

He was admitted in hospital with a gunshot wound in the back. This gave an indication the groups are armed in efforts to protect their territories.

Police said the chaos broke out after a group of miners found a shallow grave at the site and on excavating it, they found a body of one them who had been missing.

According to police, this prompted the group to target another group of miners in the area accusing them of killing the one who was found buried in the shallow grave.

In the process, according to police, two miners were stoned to death while eight others sustained serious injuries.

Three other bodies were later discovered in the area raising the toll to six.

A team of police officers rushed to the scene after the Monday March 11 skirmishes and contained the violence.

They found the bodies lying at the site while the injured were rushed to hospital.

Police said the victims are in stable condition amid tension of retaliation from the other affected group.

More police officers were sent to the area to ensure the safety for all amid considerations to close the sites for a while.

The area has deposits of gold, which miners venture to excavate even with poor conditions.

Some of the miners are killed when the walls of the sites collapse.

This came as questions emerged why the activities, that have created jobs for thousands of young people, remained unregulated with miners working until late in the night which put their lives at risk.

The government had ordered an immediate ban on unlicensed mining activities in the area.