Sunday, May 8, 2011

Tribal clashes continue at Kenya/Ethiopia border

Further violence has gripped the Kenyan/Ethiopian border region where more than 40 people were killed earlier in the week. Border clashes between Kenyan Turkana tribesmen and their cross-border Ethiopian Merille counterparts have left scores dead and now the number of people seeking refuge has increased dramatically. Most of those killed were Turkana. Some of their tribe had gone into the border region to trade with the Ethiopians, who now live on the Kenyan side of the border, but were ambushed on their return and apparently slaughtered in a shootout.

The border region east of Kenya’s Lake Turkana remains a hotbed of conflict, with thousands of foreign nationals resident inside Kenya’s borders, and large pockets of the native Turkana population now displaced.

The victims in the alleged recent spate of killings were people who were fleeing the area due to previous clashes, in which more than 40 people died.

At the same time, fresh information suggests five more people may have been killed by Merille bandits two days after 20 others were shot dead.

Turkana North district commissioner Jack Opuo could neither confirm nor deny the killings at Todonyang on the Kenya-Ethiopia border, saying security personnel had been dispatched to investigate the incident.

“Security personnel have been sent to verify the alleged killings,” said Mr Opuo on phone.

But residents fleeing the insecurity-hit area said among the dead were Mr Edapal Lokoyo, his two daughters, a Mr Nakonyi and another person.

“The victims were escaping from the trouble-hit area when they were shot dead,” said Ms Jacinta Ekai by telephone. She termed the killing an act of provocation.

Updated 2 days ago

The border conflict has remained in the headlines in Kenya for the last week, with the government dispatching troops and a ‘fact-finding mission’ to the region to establish what can be done. The border region has seen violence before, but with 35 Kenyan tribesmen dead, their bodies littered across the plains straddling the border, the government immediately sought a route to peace in the area.

View Kenya border violence in a larger map

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Ethiopian Kenya Border killings of Turkana

Ethiopian armed men 'kill 38' at Kenya border - AFP

NAIROBI — An attack by Ethiopian armed men on a rival community in a remote region of north Kenya on their border left at least 38 people dead, a local official said Wednesday, warning the toll could rise.

"Where the incident occured is very remote and mostly not accessible," Rift Valley Provincial Commissioner Osman Warfa told AFP in an update on Tuesday's attack.

"Security forces have been combing the area since last (Tuesday) evening and the number of people killed by Merile militia men from Ethiopia is now 38," he added.

The raid had targeted fishermen and cattle herders from the Turkana community, who are normally armed in that region, he said. But several women coming home from market also got caught up in the fighting and were killed.

"By yesterday (Tuesday) only 18 bodies had been found. We had reports that more people had been killed but we had not found all the bodies.

"Based on the total number of bodies found so far, 38 people in all were killed," Warfa said, adding that the death toll might continue to rise.

"A security operation has been launched in the area and we are working with authorities from Ethiopia to help us apprehend those who committed the atrocities and help secure the border," he added.

There is a history of cross border inter-community violence between the Turkana and the Merile.

However Warfa said the two groups "have been living peacefully in recent weeks and even doing cross-border trade."

"We don't understand where the animosity came from," he said.

Stratex finds bonanza gold grades during sampling in Blackrock licence, Ethiopia

7:27 am by Andre Lamberti

Sampling work on the company's Blackrock licence in Ethiopia's Afar region has found bonanza gold grades

Stratex International PLC (LON:STI) said it found bonanza gold grades during rock sampling at the Black Water zone within its 100 percent owned Blackrock Exclusive Exploration Licence (Blackrock EEL) in the prospective Afar epithermal gold province of eastern Ethiopia.

Surface rock-chip samples returned up to 60.4 grammes per tonne gold from the Nesbitt target and 34.6 g/t Au from the Oasis vein systems at the Blackrock EEL.

Channel-chip sampling of Theodore target returned best grades of 25 metres at 1.15 g/t Au and 15.2 metres at 1.28 g/t Au, while best values returned at Nesbitt were 6.1 metres grading 1.01 g/t Au and 0.5 metres at 38.3 g/t Au.

The work has identified wide zones of gold on the Theodore, Nesbitt and Oasis vein systems over 4.57 kilometres combined strike within the previously discovered 14 kilometres of outcropping veins over the Black Water and Magdala zones of the Blackrock EEL.

Executive director David Hall said: "These first samples of outcrop at the Black Water zone have returned bonanza grades, i.e. greater than 30 grams per tonne gold, and wide zones of gold mineralisation up to 25 metres in width, further highlighting the potential for major multiple gold mineralisation at this exciting discovery where four key zones have been identified to date.”

"With this in mind, our exploration programme at Blackrock will continue at pace as we focus on advancing the Stanley, Nesbitt, Oasis, Theodore and Baker targets to a drill ready status. We also eagerly await the results from a 3,000 metre drill programme at our Megenta gold project in Ethiopia, where we believe there is a potential to intersect, at depth, similar multi-gram gold grades."

It is anticipated that the Blackrock prospects can be fast-tracked through to drill-ready status before the end of the year. The regional infrastructure is being rapidly upgraded by mining majors such as BHP Billiton which are conducting significant potash programmes. In line with this, major camps, new roads and associated infrastructure are currently being established.

In the meantime, drilling of the company's first project in the Afar, Megenta, will commence shortly, funded by the joint-venture partnership with Thani Ashanti, an AngloGold Ashanti alliance.

The Canadian Press: Heineken wins bid to buy 2 state-owned Ethiopian breweries for 163M, says government agency

"Heineken wins bid to buy 2 state-owned Ethiopian breweries for 163M, says government agency
By The Associated Press – 16 hours ago
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — An Ethiopian official says Heineken has won a $163 million bid to buy two state-owned breweries.
Private and Public Enterprises Supervising Agency spokesman Wondafrash Assefa said Tuesday the Netherlands-based brewer wants to expand the breweries and introduce other products, possibly including nonalcoholic beverages, in the East African nation.
A Heineken spokesman told The Associated Press by phone that the company had not been notified about the government's final decision on the bid.
The world's third-largest brewer offered $78 million for Harar Brewery S.C. and $85 million for Bedele Brewery S.C.
Last year, Heineken enjoyed strong growth in Nigeria, South Africa, Brazil, and several mid-sized Asian countries."