Country: Kenya

Group: Luo

Data Finalized: 4/6/2020

Team: Ray Gerard Regorgo (lead), Gabriel Cardenas, Aracely Esquer

The Luo are documented as being victims of tribal warfare throughout most of Kenya’s modern history. In 1986 the Luo were targeted by a ruling regime. The Moi regime were in power at the time. This regime eradicated persons who were deemed as an enemy of the state, including journalists and students and university lecturers. Among those who were killed and arrested were the Luo people. Another instance of targeted killing of the Luo was found in 1991 due to land disputes. The Luo were killed by Kalenjin tribes (Minorities at Risk Project, 2004). There are other historical records of the attacks against this ethnic group in Kenya. Since the 1900s the Luo people have been targeted by the Kalenjin and other nomadic groups in Kenya (Minorites at Risk Project, 2004). They have also been targeted by the Kikuyu during the Kenyan Crisis (Thielke, 2008; Kagwanja, 2009).In conclusion, our team view these records as evidence of targeted killing. The information found overall on these conflicts and which parties were involved would be given a three; however, general information about the Luo would be given a two.

Sources

  1. Kagwanja, P. (2009). Courting genocide: Populism, ethno-nationalism and the informalisation of violence in Kenya’s 2008 post-election crisis. Journal of Contemporary African Studies, 27(3), 365-387.
  2. Minorities at Risk Project, Chronology for Kalenjin in Kenya, 2004, available at: http://www.mar.umd.edu/chronology.asp?groupId=50110 [accessed 1 March 2020]
  3. Minorities at Risk Project, Chronology for Luhya in Kenya, 2004, available at: http://www.mar.umd.edu/chronology.asp?groupId=50110 [accessed 1 March 2020]
  4. The Crisis in Kenya. (n.d.). Retrieved March 1, 2020, from http://www.responsibilitytoprotect.org/index.php/crises/crisis-in-kenya
  5. Thielke, T. (2008, January 28). Massacre in Kenya: Some Kill with Machetes, Others with Arrows. DER SPIEGEL – International. Retrieved from https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/massacre-in-kenya-some-kill-with-machetes-others-with-arrows-a-531484.html