Outrage as shallow graves with fresh corpses found in Mandera

Mandera, Kenya: Shallow graves with 12 corpses including a woman's have been discovered in Lethe area of Arabia Ward in Mandera East constituency sparking fear of a return of extra-judicial killings in an area where police and military forces have been battling Al Shabaab militants.

The graves were, serendipitously, discovered on Sunday by herdsmen in thickets in a remote village identified as Lethe, about 30 kilometres, south of Mandera town on the main highway to Wajir. Pictures of the apparently fresh dead bodies were posted on social media sparking an outrage by local leaders who believe these are victims of extrajudicial killings.

Besides Al Shabaab militants there are several armed groups and brigands in a volatile area and local activists claim 28 local youths have been snatched away by local police and military officers in recent months, without trace.

One of the pictures shows the soiled body of a woman, lying naked on its belly in a shallow grave, with a man in white gloves trying to retrieve it. Another shows a leg of a separate victim in a different grave.