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At least 10 people, five of them children, were killed Thursday morning (January 10th) in a retaliatory raid on Kibusu village in Kenya's Tana River Delta region, AFP reported.

Nine people were killed January 9th in the Tana River Delta in south eastern Kenya between the rival Orma and Pokomo communities, officials said, raising concern over security less than two months before the first polls since deadly post-election violence five years ago. [AFP] Play Video

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Kenya Red Cross officials said the victims in the Pokomo village of Kibusu were killed by raiders carrying guns and machetes.

"There are 10 dead and two critically wounded, with gunshot wounds, machete cuts and burns," local Red Cross official Caleb Kilunde said.

Regional police chief Aggrey Adoli said Thursday there was "a problem in the area" and blamed local politicians for failing to play a bigger role in calming the violence.

"Most of the local politicians have been silent on the violence... a majority of them have neither condemned the atrocious acts nor asked the people for restraint," Adoli said.

Thursday's attack also left 19 homes burnt and follows clashes between the Pokomo and Orma communities on Wednesday that left at least nine people dead.

Large numbers of security forces were deployed in the region following attacks last year, but the clashes have continued.

The Red Cross said it sent an emergency response team from nearby Garsen to offer assistance in the area, according to Kenya's Capital FM.