External Militias in Inter-Ethnic Conflicts In Kenya: A Case of Oromo Liberation Front in Marsabit County; 1990 - 2022
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Date
2025-03
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Kenyatta University
Abstract
This study examines the role of outside militias in Kenya's inter-ethnic violence, the Marsabit County Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) situation between 1990 and 2022. The study examines determinants of inter-ethnic violence and assesses the effects of OLF. Drawing on the Copenhagen School of Security securitization framework, and taking a multi-level, multi-sectoral approach, the study applies a cross-sectional qualitative study design. Local leaders, for example, the members of the Council of Elders, religious leaders, NGO members, female group chairs, and regional leaders, were selected through purposive sampling. Externally, inter-ethnic conflicts in Marsabit County are caused by external militias, politics, land competition, national political intrusion, and illegal weapons, which have been confirmed by findings. OLF has exacerbated interethnic conflict through selective violence, ethnic supremacy, and the illicit arms trade. The research claims that a better knowledge of security, community support, and heightened border surveillance are all contributing to the resolution of interethnic conflicts. The research recommends increased border patrols, better security operations, and political and civic reforms to keep Marsabit County stable. Political allegiance, customary cattle rustling, administrative borders, and land competition are further factors that cause conflicts. OLF fighters use porous borders to acquire weapons and commit violent crimes, which leads to terror, ethnic tensions, and socioeconomic instability. By extension, arguably for the study, the government of Marsabit County has to work with local leadership to make bottom-up initiatives stronger, enhance border security, and create security initiatives through intelligence sharing between Kenya and Ethiopia. Reintegration of ex-militia and demilitarization must also be ensured to stop violence and maintain peace in the future.
Description
A Project Report Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Award of Master of Science in Security and Strategic Studies in the School of Law, Arts and Social Sciences, Kenyatta University, March 2025.
Supervisor
Lazarus Ngari