Widows of Todonyang: How massacre left helpless mothers struggling to live

The attack not only claimed the lives of several men but also left behind a trail of widows and orphans grappling with the harsh realities of life without their breadwinners. [Lucas Ngasike, Standard] In the aftermath of the Todonyang massacre that left more than 30 fishermen dead, a trail of death and destruction left dozens of women widows in the remote village in Turkana North. The horrific terror near the Kenya-Ethiopia border has left a cloud of grief hanging heavily over the small fishing community as widows grapple to come to terms with the loss of their husbands in a deadly Ethiopian Dassanech attack. Rows of women sit in silence, their faces etched with pain, as they grapple with the haunting absence of their husbands, victims of brutal attacks by suspected Merile militia from Ethiopia. For more than a week now, the widows of Todonyang have endured sleepless nights, waiting for news that may never come. Their husbands, most of them fishermen, vanished in the treacherous waters of Lake Turkana in Todonyang after a deadly raid that occurred on February 22 at Natiira and Lopeimukat along the Kenya Ethiopia border. The attack not only claimed the lives of several men but also left behind a trail of widows and orphans grappling with the harsh realities of life without their breadwinners. For Veronica Aroo, 45, life has taken a painful twist since her husband, Kaeris Elim, was killed in the militia ambush. The father of six was a fisherman, and his boat, along with his fishing gear, was stolen by the attackers. With her only source of livelihood gone, Aroo is now forced to step into her husband's shoes, a burden she says is almost unbearable. "Life has become extremely difficult since my husband was killed. I now engage in menial jobs like removing fish scales and cleaning fish for the market just to earn a little commission to feed my children," says Aroo. Beside her, Akai Lokoli, a 20-year-old mother of six, holds her youngest child tightly. Her husband, a Kenya Police Reservist (KPR), was gunned down by the militia while providing security to local fishermen. His firearm was stolen, leaving the family not only fatherless but without any protection. "I had so much hope in him. But now that hope is gone. We used to interact and trade peacefully with the Dassanech community, but sometimes they turn against us as if their mission is to wipe out our village and control the fishing resources," Akai recounts painfully. Akai says life has become a daily struggle for survival. With their husbands gone and the fishing gear stolen, the only source of income for most families has been cut off. "Many of them now wake up at dawn to work along the lake, offering their services to fishermen for small wages," says Akai. The deadly attacks are fueled by a scramble for the rich fishing grounds in Lake Turkana. The Merile militia, who cross from Ethiopia, are keen to control the fishing resources by displacing local communities through violence. Despite past cross-border peace initiatives, the attacks have continued to happen inside Kenya's territory, leaving many families shattered. There were claims that the attack was an act of retaliation following disputes over fishing zones in Lake Turkana. "We had started rebuilding our lives after peace talks. But now we are living in fear again. We don't know when they will attack next," says Akai. The widows are now appealing to the government to intervene by compensating stolen fishing gear and providing income-generating activities to help them sustain their families. "If the government can support us with fishing boats and alternative businesses, we will be able to feed our children and send them to school. Our husbands are gone, but we still have to fight for our children's future," pleads Aroo. The women are also calling on the government to enhance security in the volatile region to prevent further bloodshed and restore hope among the devastated families. For the families whose husbands' bodies were never recovered, hope of finding them alive continues to fade with each passing day. The silence of the lake serves as a painful reminder of the loved ones they may never see again. Faces of Todonyang widows in Turkana who lost their husbands to deadly militia attack. [Lucas Ngasike, Standard] The widows of Todonyang keep bracing themselves for yet another night of uncertainty as desolate loneliness continues to deepen everyday. They claim that most of them now have turned breadwinners, holding on to fading hopes in a land where grief and survival walk hand in hand. "We are now the fathers of our children. But who will fend for us?" poses Lokoli. The attack by Ethiopian Dassanech militia has left permanent scars even as the community remained devastated. It is believed that several men are presumed dead and their bodies still missing from that horrific attack. According to local administrators, more than 38 fishermen are still missing, all presumed dead, while three bodies were recovered in Lake Turkana. The militia, according to locals, is believed to have disposed of the bodies in the lake to erase any trace of their heinous acts. "We know our husbands are gone, but the pain of not giving them a proper burial breaks us every day. We want their bodies so we can find peace," says Damaris Epun, a widow and a mother of five. Epun says the attacks along the Kenya-Ethiopia border have been a recurring nightmare for the people of Todonyang. She says the recent one shattered her dreams completely following the brutal murder of her husband by the militia. Her heart is heavy as she carries the baby she was expecting to raise with her husband, a baby he may never get to see. She was expecting the sixth child but her joy would be consumed by grief. "I am carrying an unborn child, and my other five children keep asking where their father is. I don't know how to explain to my children why he isn't here. What will I tell my unborn baby?" Epun asked with a shaken voice. In the past years, several deadly massacres have occurred in Todonyang, leaving the community devastated. In 2011, 43 people, mostly women and children were butchered in Natiira village by the militia when they went to look for food after drought hit the region. The assailants also allegedly raped women, including pregnant ones, before before slaughtering them in Natiira village. The Todonyang Catholic Mission rescued some survivors and collected bodies for mass burial in Todonyang cemetery. The deadly attack has always left dozens of women widowed and children orphaned. However, this time, the scars ran deeper. The government, they say, has failed to recover the missing bodies or bring those responsible to justice. Security sources say the Ethiopian government granted the Kenya authorities full access to the Lake to search for missing persons and recover fishing gear and nets. But the Todonyang widows claim that they had been abandoned by the State since the government has not informed them of the whereabouts of their missing husbands. "We have been abandoned. We cry for help, but no one listens. Our husbands were our only source of livelihood, and now we are left with nothing. "says Aroo. Rift Valley Regional Commissioner Abdi Hassan held a joint consultative meeting with the Ethiopian authorities at Todonyang General Service Unit(GSU) Camp where they agreed on a joint operation to retrieve bodies. "We have been given access to the Lake to search for missing persons and recover the boats and fishing gears. We urged the families to remain calm. We assure you of your security," Dr Abdi said. Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, who recently visited Todonyang to assess the security situation, said that they were making efforts to recover the missing persons and fishing gear. Murkomen described the situation as delicate, saying the matter was being diplomatically handled at high level offices in Nairobi and Addis Ababa. "We have established a multi agency security team to conduct search and rescue missions. The team is led by the Rift Valley top security organ and the Turkana County Commissioner. We have negotiated with our Ethiopian counterparts to carry out a joint recovery operation," Murkomen said. Despite government assurances to refind the missing persons, the community still fears another attack. The fishing community depends entirely on the waters of Lake Turkana for survival. But the fear of fresh attacks has kept many away from the lake, worsening hunger and poverty in the already marginalized village. The women are now calling on the government to intervene, not only to retrieve the bodies of their loved ones but also to provide security along the volatile border. "We need the government to hear our cry. Let them bring back the bodies of our men so we can bury them with dignity, " Lokoli said.

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