Villagers from Kilelengwani village inside their makeshift tent outside
the Witu District Officer's office where they have camped after they
deserted their village which was burnt down by unknown raiders.
Photo/Gideon Maundu.
By AFP
In Summary
The flare-up of violence has badly dented Kenya's
tourist industry at one of its traditionally busiest times of the year, a
key foreign currency earner and massive employer for the country.
At least 11 people have been killed in a new
attack on Kenya's coastal region, officials said Tuesday, one week after
some 60 people died in twin massacres nearby.
Some were hacked to death with knives, others shot
and executed at close quarters, mirroring tactics used in earlier
attacks claimed by Somalia's Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab.
The attack took place overnight in a small village
near the town of Witu, on the mainland some 50 kilometres west of the
tourist island of Lamu. Lamu County Commissioner Stephen Ikua called it
an "unfortunate attack", the third in the area this month.
Five bodies were initially found, Ikua said, but a
police source later said that six more bodies were found, taking the
toll to 11. Deputy district commissioner Benson Maisori said that some
"were killed with knives", while others "were shot, executed at very
close range."
Several people were reported to have been wounded
in the attack and taken to nearby hospitals for treatment, local
councillor Athaman Badi said.
There was no immediate claims of responsibility.
"We have sent our officers to the ground to get more details... they are on the ground pursuing the attackers," Ikua added.
The village is reported to be a mix of Kenyan
ethnic groups. Attacks last week on the nearby coastal Mpeketoni
district left over 60 people dead.
"The style of the attack is very similar to that at Mpeketoni, it seems like it is the same men," Maisori said.
The flare-up of violence has badly dented Kenya's
tourist industry at one of its traditionally busiest times of the year, a
key foreign currency earner and massive employer for the country.
Attacks stoking ethnic tensions
Last week's attacks were claimed by Somalia's
Islamist Al-Shabaab insurgents, though President Uhuru Kenyatta blamed
"well-planned, orchestrated and politically motivated ethnic violence"
carried out by "local political networks".
Kenyatta's accusations have stoked already tense
political rivalry between the government and opposition parties, and
raised fears of renewed ethnic tension.
After the attacks, Kenyan security forces killed
five people they suspected of involvement in the massacres, recovering
AK-47 assault rifles as well as ammunition. Three others have also been
charged in connection with the killings.
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