Communal conflict is endemic in the vast arid region on both sides of the Kenya-Ethiopia border. Fresh alarm has been sparked in both countries following a kidnapping and armed attacks on police and civilians in Kenya’s Marsabit county, in the extreme north of the country. Oscar Mwangi Gakuo, who has studied the roots of conflict in the border region, sets out the context.
What is the history of the tensions along the Kenya-Ethiopia border?
Marsabit County is Kenya’s largest, covering an area of of 70,961 square kilometres. This is roughly equivalent in size to Sierra Leone or the combined size of Rwanda, Burundi and Eswatini.
