Over 14,000 Flee Ethiopia Violence for Kenya as Deaths Mount
(MENAFN) More than 14,000 Ethiopians have escaped lethal communal fighting in southern Ethiopia and crossed into Kenya, humanitarian officials said, warning that a dozen or more people may already be dead.
Aid workers are racing to keep pace with the surge. “We urgently need more well-wishers to support us with food and water. There is also a need for sanitary supplies and more toilets to avert diarrheal diseases,” Malik Adan, Kenya Red Cross head of the Upper Eastern region, told reporters.
The Kenya Red Cross said over 10,900 displaced people are sheltering in six temporary camps in the border town of Moyale, while roughly 4,000 more have been taken in by relatives and host families.
The numbers represent a steep jump from Friday, when Marsabit County Commissioner Stanley Kamande put the count of new arrivals at just over 2,000, following violence that erupted on Wednesday.
Residents said on social media that heavy gunfire and shelling were still being exchanged from both sides, leaving Kenya as the only escape route for many civilians.
The clashes pit Oromo and Somali communities against each other in Ethiopia’s southern border region. Tensions have been inflamed by a dispute over flying the Somali Regional State flag in territory administered by Oromia. Both are federal regions of Ethiopia.
At least nine deaths were recorded on Friday, but humanitarian officials fear the toll has passed a dozen as intense fighting persists.
The Kenya Red Cross has handed out tents, blankets, sleeping mats and other essentials, and is providing nutritional support to children and breastfeeding mothers. Local authorities have promised extra food, including rice and beans, but aid officials caution that supplies may fall short as the displaced population grows.
Moyale, a key crossing between the two East African nations, sits about 780 kilometers (485 miles) by road north of Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, and 775 kilometers (482 miles) south of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital.
The ongoing violence has also disrupted cross-border trade and heightened fears of further displacement.
Aid workers are racing to keep pace with the surge. “We urgently need more well-wishers to support us with food and water. There is also a need for sanitary supplies and more toilets to avert diarrheal diseases,” Malik Adan, Kenya Red Cross head of the Upper Eastern region, told reporters.
The Kenya Red Cross said over 10,900 displaced people are sheltering in six temporary camps in the border town of Moyale, while roughly 4,000 more have been taken in by relatives and host families.
The numbers represent a steep jump from Friday, when Marsabit County Commissioner Stanley Kamande put the count of new arrivals at just over 2,000, following violence that erupted on Wednesday.
Residents said on social media that heavy gunfire and shelling were still being exchanged from both sides, leaving Kenya as the only escape route for many civilians.
The clashes pit Oromo and Somali communities against each other in Ethiopia’s southern border region. Tensions have been inflamed by a dispute over flying the Somali Regional State flag in territory administered by Oromia. Both are federal regions of Ethiopia.
At least nine deaths were recorded on Friday, but humanitarian officials fear the toll has passed a dozen as intense fighting persists.
The Kenya Red Cross has handed out tents, blankets, sleeping mats and other essentials, and is providing nutritional support to children and breastfeeding mothers. Local authorities have promised extra food, including rice and beans, but aid officials caution that supplies may fall short as the displaced population grows.
Moyale, a key crossing between the two East African nations, sits about 780 kilometers (485 miles) by road north of Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, and 775 kilometers (482 miles) south of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital.
The ongoing violence has also disrupted cross-border trade and heightened fears of further displacement.
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