Clashes between Kenyan police and Somali refugees in Northern Kenya leave at least two people dead and seven others injured, witnesses told VOA Somali Service.
The violence took place after police demolished squatter shops in Dhagahley refugee camp, Dadab district, not far from the border between Kenya and Somalia. The shops made of wood and corrugated sheets were built by members of moderate religious group to raise funds for a nearby mosque through rents.
A local journalist told VOA that police were acting on orders from Department of Refugee Affairs (DRA) in Kenya because buildings compromised the passage of a main road in the camp.
Following afternoon prayers, angry worshipers took to the streets and hurled rocks at police. A local journalist told VOA that police fired into the air and used tear gas. However, a refugee elder told VOA that police also fired live bullets into the crowd.
The two people killed, both refugees were hit by bullets, according to the witness. There has been no comment from Kenya security forces at the camp.