Ethiopian gunmen today stormed Moyale town and opened fire on Kenyan workers leading to high tension in the region.
The gunmen are said to be unhappy with the Kenyan government’s decision to close the border in a bid to curb the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19).
The attack has disrupted the workers who had been hired by county administration to dig tunnels on the borderline that would prevent exit and entry into the country.
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Additionally, according to Nation, the gunmen reportedly opened fire to the workers as they excavated a tunnel hence ripping apart the excavator’s fuel tanker.
A standoff has also been witnessed as the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and the gunmen engaged in running battles and exchanged fire.
This has been confirmed by the Marsabit County Commissioner Evans Achoki through a phone interview with local media, although he did not disclose the identity of the attackers.
“We are still not sure about the identity of the gunmen who opened fire on our constructors who were digging tunnels along the border consequently damaging one of the fuel tanks of the excavators on the site. KDF has rushed to quell the tension and as we speak there is calm.” Achoki is quoted.
Last year, hours just after the National Population and Housing Census exercise kicked off, five people were shot and killed in Forore, Marsabit County, by suspected Ethiopian militia.
This was confirmed by Steve Oloo, the County Police Commander, who said that four other people had been injured in the 4AM attack along the Kenya-Ethiopia border.
The attack came just days after Wajir North MP, Ahmed Ibrahim Abdsalan, was shot at by unknown gunmen during a census sensitization meeting, with the attack reported to have disrupted the Census.
According to online sources, the Ethiopia gunmen are reported to have vowed to keep the borders open despite the directive by the Kenyan Government to have it closed to curb COVID-19 spread.
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