Pastoralists displaced by Omo flooding

Hundreds of Ethiopian pastoralists have crossed into northwestern Kenya with some 20,000 head of cattle because of the flooding of the Omo river, southern Ethiopia. The Kenyan ‘Daily Nation’ quoted local security sources as saying there were fears that the migration of the Ethiopian Meriles, had sparked fears of hostilities between armed pastoralists. The Ethiopian Meriles carried rifles, and their movement into land inhabited by the Kenyan pastoralist Turkana had provoked a defensive reaction, the sources said. A meeting between the Turkana District Security Committee and their Ethiopian counterparts scheduled for 14 August was aborted after the Ethiopian delegation failed to turn up, the ‘Daily Nation’ said on 17 August. According to officials in Kenya, the Ethiopian team had been unable to cross the flooded Omo to attend the meeting. He said there had been signs that the Meriles had started withdrawing, but were hampered in their movements because of the large number of animals.