Somali famine refugees face attack by gangs of criminals

MARAUDING gangs and criminals are attacking Somali famine refugees more frequently as they flee across the border to Kenyan camps, but Kenyan police say they do not have enough manpower to stop them.

The lack of manpower underscores a larger problem for Kenya: officials say they are being overwhelmed by the influx of tens of thousands of Somali refugees, and cannot stem the attacks.

One 30-year-old woman who watched two of her five children die as they trekked through Somalia was raped after reaching what she hoped would be the safety of Kenyan soil.