by Sr. Sheila Campbell MMM                       Ireland                                      07.08.2024

Nowadays we hear about the big wars in Europe and the Middle East, as if these were the only places where conflict exists in our world. Here is a story typical of many situations MMM face in their daily lives. It was on March 5th a few years back, around 7am, gunshots were heard. The people started running towards the church in Nakwamoro, Kenya. The sound of shooting, which came from three directions, continued for four and a half hours unabated. Nobody moved.

The battle took place at the Turkwell River. MMM had been in the area for over 30 years when they were welcomed during a severe famine. Tribal conflict between the Turkana people and the neighbouring Pokot people was common. The relationship between these two warring tribes had always been aggravated by constant raiding of each other’s herds.

For a couple of years previously, relative peace prevailed and both tribes brought their animals for grazing and watering to the Turkwell River.

Suddenly the Pokots disappeared. This raised an air of suspicion.

At 11.0am the first wounded man walked into the Health Centre. The local priest drove down to the river. Fourteen Pokots had been killed. Many were wounded. Six severely wounded men were carried in for treatment. It took three and a half hours for the staff at the Health Centre to treat their horrific gunshot wounds.

The Army arrived at 5pm. They had been detained in another part of the district where this raid at started at 4am. In the other area they had found thirty women and children who had been killed in their homes.
The following morning the wounded on stretchers were carried across the Turkwell river – for onward transportation to the District Hospital in Lodwar, a three-hour journey.

Ater the raid, people were too nervous to sleep in their own homes. They spent the night close to the church and Health Centre. They were even afraid to attend to their small vegetable plots in the daytime. Anyone who could move away from the area left.

Conflicts like these used to be carried out with clubs, bows and arrows, and spears, but the availability of guns has now resulted in more deaths and more serious injuries.

The MMM Sisters had no time to think of what was happening until it was all over. They were just grateful it happened in daylight, not at night. They were glad to be there to provide assistance and support. But the future? Just constant warring? …