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Kenya: Violence at the Kenya-Ethiopia Border – What is causing insecurity in the region?

Posted on by Vaseline
Kenya: Violence at the Kenya-Ethiopia Border – What is causing insecurity in the region?

Communal conflict is endemic in the vast arid region on both sides of the border between Kenya and Ethiopia. Both countries have been revived by a kidnapping and armed attacks on police and civilians in Kenya’s Marsabit province, in the far north of the country. Oscar Mwangi Gakuo, who has studied the roots of the conflict in the border region, provides context.

What is the history of tensions along the Kenya-Ethiopia border?

Marsabit County is the largest in Kenya, covering an area of ​​70,961 square kilometres. This is roughly equal to Sierra Leone or the combined size of Rwanda, Burundi and Eswatini.

It is one of the four Kenyan provinces bordering Ethiopia.

Situated in the Chalbi desert belt, the county is mainly arid and semi-arid. The people who live there are mainly pastoralists who move from place to place to graze their livestock. Poverty is high and conflicts over resources often break out.

In July 2005, hostilities between the Borana and Gabra majority communities led to the deaths of 95 people in what became known as the Turbi massacre.

The hostilities also have cross-border dimensions. The border areas are home to armed rebel groups such as the Oromo Liberation Army, which has roots in northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia.

Daily acts of violence in this remote region rarely attract national attention. But the highest levels of state security in both Kenya and Ethiopia took note of them after the latest attacks, believed to involve the Oromo Liberation Front and the Somalia-based al-Shabaab group, raised concerns about transnational terrorism.

This border region is fragile. State institutions are weak and do not provide citizens with the minimum levels of security and well-being. Inter-ethnic conflicts between nomadic herders have led to the proliferation of small arms.

Security failures also stem from the fact that Kenyan and Ethiopian security policies do not work together. For example, the Kenyan government strictly controls the licensing of guns to citizens. But in Ethiopia, citizens are allowed to own guns if they register with the federal government. Kenyans in the northern border region can still obtain illegal guns for self-defense and cross-border raids.

Government attempts to disarm ranchers are often futile due to the porous border.

What are the main causes of insecurity in the region?

Conflicts in Marsabit are caused by scarce natural resources and by ethnopolitical and cultural disputes.

There are several related factors:

Resource conflicts arise from conflicting claims of ownership of grazing lands and water sources, especially during dry seasons. Conflicts between communities and the state also occur around protected areas such as national parks during dry seasons.

Another factor contributing to the violence is the way the region is governed.

Kenya has decentralized several state functions to the counties. However, security administration remains centralized under the national government.

This top-down approach makes provincial governments feel alienated.

New administrative boundaries have been created in Marsabit. This has exacerbated inter-ethnic conflicts between the Borana and Gabra over resources. What makes the toxic mix worse is that both groups have militias that have been labeled “bandits” by state security services.

There is also competition for new political and administrative positions.

The region is also influenced by the broader political atmosphere in Kenya. Conflict is widespread, fueled by debates and differences framed along ethnic lines. The country’s political elite in particular focuses on historical ethnic differences and competition for resources. This happens especially during election periods. The result is the promotion of intolerance, suspicion, mistrust and fear among ethnic groups.

What are the cross-border threats?

The Borana and Gabra communities share a common socio-cultural history with the Ethiopian Oromo. The communities belong to the larger linguistic Oromia community, which encompasses both countries.

Despite the shared culture, cross-border conflicts arise between the communities.

Cross-border incursions by Ethiopian troops and the Oromo Liberation Army also exacerbate tensions between states. The Oromo Liberation Army is fighting the Ethiopian government in Oromia, particularly in the western and southern parts of the region. The goal is self-determination for the ethnic Oromo peoples.

The Oromo Liberation Army, also known as the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF)-Shane, was originally the military wing of the Oromo Liberation Front party. It split from the party in April 2019.