Turkana raiding update 2

Hello all!

Here is another update from my teammate, Gene Morden.  Please keep the situation in your prayers!

Two of the bandits have been caught and taken to jail. Many of the people are away from the river at a place called Natome. Two days ago an elderly man from the mountains, near Lake Turkana, called a pastor over and said the raiders are coming from my village. I know them all. In fact that man over there is one of them. The pastor did not believe him and called his brother over who was still skeptical as they both know the accused man. They called some other men over to hear the story and then they all called the accused over. He refused at first and then as the group moved toward him he came over. When they began to ask him about the killings, he began to shake. He then confessed he was with the raid that killed the man and his two sons, but had stopped going after that. He identified all the bandits. He said they take the animals to some Pokot men to get more bullets and some cash. The accused is in jail. The police are not going to search for the others as they are a seven hour walk on the other side of the Kerio River.

No one from across the Kerio River has gone home yet. A few have trickled back into Nakor and Kangirisae, but the majority are refugees near Natome and scattered west of the north/south road to the west of Nakor and north. All animals have been moved another 30 kilometers north near Kerio town.
Please pray the government will send the police out to capture the bandits.  Most people are afraid to go home as long as they are still free.

Thanks, and God bless,

Again, these raids are happening about 3 hours drive outside Lodwar and then 7 hours walk.  There is a river (usually dry, but flowing right now because of rain down country), and then the area where the raids are taking place.  The river cannot be crossed by vehicles.  My guess is that if anything is to be done, it would have to be done by air and that is harder to get.  In the meantime, people are displaced and afraid of going home.

Some of my students for ESL and at TBTI come from these areas.  So, do please keep them in your prayers!  My next ESL class is next week and the next TBTI class is Oct 17th.