Sabaot Land Defence Force

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The Sabaot Land Defence Force (SLDF) is a guerrilla militia operating in the Mount Elgon District of Kenya since 2005. It has been accused of killing more than 600 people, and of committing a variety of atrocities including murder, torture, rape, and the theft and destruction of property.^[1]^[2] More than 66,000 have been displaced in an 18 month period.^[3] The group draws its members from the Sabaot people, who are a sub-tribe of the Kalenjin, an ethnic group which forms only 11% of the Kenyan population, but a much larger percentage in the Rift Valley and Western Uganda.^[2]^[4] They were led by a former bodyguard to the President, who has now been killed by security forces.^[5] Wycliffe Matakwei Kirui Komon is the deputy commander; he commands an estimated force of 35,000 soldiers and scouts.^[6] Unusually for groups in the area, they wear jungle camouflage uniforms and have access to ammunition - although AK47s and other guns are easily accessible from bordering nations such as Somalia, costing around 500,000 UGX, ammunition is more difficult to acquire.^[5] The SLDF is funded by unofficial "taxation" of the local residents, and has implemented a parallel administration system.^[2]

Commentators have attributed the outbreaks of violence and rise of the militias to several factors: conflict over scarce land resources, widespread unemployment among young men, and a fast growing population (50% of the Kenyan population is aged below 16).^[5] In local tradition it has been considered good for a man to have as many children as possible, and international aid agencies which receive any portion of funding from the US federal government have been prohibited from providing advice on family planning.^[5]^[7]^[8] This has resulted in a fast growing population which is stressing agricultural resources. Tensions between different ethnic groups were also manifested in the 2007–2008 Kenyan crisis.

[edit] Government response

The government initially treated the SLDF as common criminals, but has begun to treat them as an organised group. An amnesty offered 10,000 Ugandan shillings to fighters surrendering their weapons, but no weaspons were surrendered.^[6] Security forces have found it difficult to gain information on the group, due to intimidation and the threat of violence towards the families of those who might come forward with information.

A large scale military assault in March 2008 has resulted in allegations of serious human rights abuses by the Kenya Army, including murder, torture, rape, and arbitrary detention.^[9]^[1]

Wycliffe Matwakei Komol, the leader of SLDF was killed by Kenyan army on May 16, 2008 ^[10].