More than fourteen thousand people have fled into Kenya after violent clashes erupted in Ethiopia’s southern border region, humanitarian officials said. The fighting involves the Oromo and Somali communities in an area where a dispute over the display of the Somali Regional State flag in an Oromia-administered zone has fueled deep tensions.
Both groups represent federal regions of Ethiopia. Residents used social media to report that heavy gunfire and shelling continued from both sides, leaving Kenya as the only viable refuge for civilians.
The Kenya Red Cross reported that more than 10,900 displaced individuals were being accommodated across six temporary camps in the Kenyan border town of Moyale. Another 4,000 people were staying with relatives and host families in the area.
These figures mark a sharp increase from earlier in the week. Marsabit County Commissioner Stanley Kamande said more than 2,000 Ethiopians had crossed the border following the outbreak of violence on Wednesday.
At least nine deaths were reported by Friday, but humanitarian officials fear that more than a dozen people may have been killed as heavy fighting persists. The town of Moyale sits approximately 780 kilometres north of Nairobi and 775 kilometres south of Addis Ababa by road.
The fighting has disrupted cross-border trade and raised concerns about further displacement. The Kenya Red Cross has distributed tents, blankets, sleeping mats and other essential supplies while providing nutritional assistance to children and breastfeeding mothers.
Local authorities have pledged food supplies, including rice and beans. Humanitarian workers warn that available resources may not meet the needs of the growing displaced population.
"We urgently need more well-wishers to support us with food and water," Malik Adan, Kenya Red Cross head of the Upper Eastern region, told reporters.
"There is also a need for sanitary supplies and more toilets to avert diarrheal diseases," Adan added.
