MARSABIT, Kenya, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan police confirmed on Monday that they are interrogating five suspects in connection with renewed clashes in Marsabit county in northern part after the murder of ten people this month.
County Police Commander Ben Kogo said the latest victim is a 12-year-old boy who was beheaded and another seriously wounded on Monday morning.
"We have arrested five suspects in connection with the killing. We are still questioning them. Other suspects have already appeared in court. We have no official report of claims made by politicians," Kogo said.
Local leaders claim that the skirmishes have claimed a total of 22 lives in the area in the renewed clashes between Rendile and Borana communities as leaders protest over escalating insecurity in the region ahead of the August poll.
The latest killing occurred on Monday morning when raiders armed with crude weapons attacked a 12-year-old boy at Songa area in Saku constituency and hacked him to death and seriously wounding another.
Kogo said they are questioning five suspects in connection with the killing including the suspects who shot dead a police reservist in the area.
He said they have arrested some suspects who attacked a truck along Laisamis road killing one person before offloading some camels to another truck.
The incident has sparked fresh tension in the region that has witnessed bloody conflicts in the last two months. Police say they are also investigating the murder of civilians by armed thugs in the region.
Local leaders said they fear for their lives as criminals may target to eliminate them. They called on the state to investigate the killing in Laisamis, Saku and Moyale region.
Moyale region in Kenya's northern border with Ethiopia has been the scene of tribal clashes involving mainly Borana, Rendile and Gabra communities of Kenya between 2013-2015.
Moyale, a town which is less than a kilometer from the neighboring Ethiopia, burst into deadly skirmishes late August 2013 that pit Borana against their arch-rival Gabra community.
Moyale town has been experiencing one of the worst continued inter-clan feuds.
