Todonyang attack: Two bodies recovered as search for missing Kenyans continues

The bodies, a man and a woman, both believed to be in their late 20s to early 30s, were recovered in Ethiopia

by FELIX KIPKEMOI

Realtime26 February 2025 - 20:22

In Summary

- The recovery of the bodies comes hours after Kenyan authorities were allowed entry into the Ethiopian side, where the incident is said to have occurred Saturday.
- Earlier, CS Murkomen said Kenyan officials had been granted access to the area of an attack incident in Todonyang along the Kenya-Ethiopia border to search for missing Kenyans.

At least two bodies have been recovered in the ongoing search for missing Kenyans following the cross-border attack at Todonyang along the Kenya-Ethiopia border in Turkana.

The bodies, a man and a woman, both believed to be in their late 20s to early 30s, were recovered on the Ethiopian side as search and rescue efforts continue.

The recovery of the bodies comes hours after Kenyan authorities were allowed entry into the Ethiopian side, where the incident is said to have occurred Saturday.

“Today, the team from the Kenyan side, working with their Ethiopian counterparts, accessed the area of the incident and are currently searching for the missing persons and 15 boats,” Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said in an earlier statement.

Earlier, CS Murkomen said Kenyan officials had been granted access to the area of an attack incident in Todonyang along the Kenya-Ethiopia border to search for missing Kenyans.

The CS said the access was allowed following diplomatic discussions in Nairobi between Kenyan and Ethiopian officials on Tuesday.

He said Ethiopia allowed full access to the Kenyan team to search for the missing persons on their side.

He assured that the government is doing everything possible to account for all missing persons while at the same time engaging with the Ethiopian government to restore normalcy in the area.

"The government is doing everything possible to account for all missing persons while at the same time engaging with the Ethiopian authorities to restore lasting peace and cohesion in the area," he said. The government, he added, will confirm to provide more updates on the progress of the search and rescue efforts "once we receive more development."

On February 22, 2025, a group of Kenyan fishermen were on a routine fishing mission in Lake Turkana when they came under attack from suspected Dassanech militia from Ethiopia.

Murkomen noted that due to poor communication on the Ethiopian side, information of the attack started reaching the Kenyan authorities late at night.

He further noted that frantic efforts were made immediately by the local security agencies in Turkana County to establish the magnitude of the attack.

He said a reporting desk was established at the Todonyang GSU camp for residents to report missing persons.