Raiders kill 22 in inter-clan violence

Armed attackers shot and killed 22 people when they raided a village in the northeastern Kenyan district of Mandera at dawn on Tuesday, a police spokesman said. Three other people were wounded. Police later pursued the group of about 40 raiders and gunned down eight of them, Jaspher Ombati, told IRIN on Tuesday. The attack happened at El Golicha village, near El Wak town, which is situated close to Kenya's border with Somalia. The village where the attacks occured is about 600 km from the capital, Nairobi. "We have sent reinforcements and police are still pursuing the attackers," the police spokesman added. Ombati said the assailants were believed to be members of the Murule clan, while the victims were thought to be from the Garre clan. It was not immediately clear what triggered the latest violence, but the two groups, both Kenyan Somalis, have a history of feuding over pasture and water points. In January, more than 20 people were killed during inter-clan violence between the Murule and the Garre communities in Mandera district, which is situated in Kenya's Northeastern Province. Much of the province is arid and notoriously lawless, with bandits often carrying out attacks.