Up to 400 dead in ethnic fighting

Up to 400 people are believed to have died following three days of "intense" ethnic fighting in eastern Uganda, news organisations and humanitarian workers reported. The clashes began last week after the mainly pastoralist Bokora ethnic group attacked their Matheniko tribesmen at Moru Ariwon village between Moroto and Kotido. "It was a fierce battle by all accounts," a Lutheran World Federation (LWF) official told IRIN on Tuesday. "Our staff on the ground say about 200 people could have died in this attack," he said. In a bid to quell the fighting, an army helicopter shelled the Kalosarich area on Friday killing an unknown number of warriors mostly from the raiding Bokora group, the LWF official confirmed. Unconfirmed reports say the incident could have been a revenge attack following a raid in late July by the Matheniko group on the Bokora in Turutuko village, in which some 140 people reportedly died. Other reports blame looming food scarcity and drought in the region that is forcing residents to move in search of food, water and pasture.