Kenya launches emergency aid efforts as hundreds flee deadly clashes in Ethiopia

In a statement on Thursday, the humanitarian organisation said the families had arrived in Kenya with few belongings and urgently needed shelter, food, safe water and healthcare as fighting continued across parts of southern Ethiopia.

Red Cross teams are working with the Marsabit County Government, national authorities and partners to establish temporary shelters and distribute essential supplies, including tents, blankets, sleeping mats, jerrycans and kitchen sets.

The organisation is also providing Super Cereal, a fortified porridge flour for young children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers, as well as first aid to those requiring medical attention.

In addition, the agency is helping family members who have been separated during the displacement reconnect through its family-links service.

“Our priority is to make sure every family arriving in Moyale is safe, sheltered and treated with dignity. Our volunteers and staff are on the ground and will continue to respond as needs evolve,” said Secretary General Ahmed Idris.

The families have fled fighting in Moyale, Ethiopia, where security forces from the Oromia and Somali regions clashed on Thursday amid rising tensions over a regional flag dispute.

The violence erupted in Moyale on the Ethiopian side of the border following tensions over the display of the Somali Regional State flag at a local administrative office in an area administered by Ethiopia's Oromia Regional State.

Oromia and the Somali Regional State are two of Ethiopia's federal regions, home predominantly to Oromo and ethnic Somali communities respectively. Both communities have longstanding ties to the border area.

The killing of a 13-year-old girl on Oct. 18 further heightened tensions before armed confrontations rocked with heavy gunfire broke out Wednesday night and intensified Thursday.

Residents reported heavy gunfire involving regional security forces, while local officials said the fighting had spread to Gumi Eldallo, Wachile and Arero districts in southern Ethiopia, according to Ethiopian local media stations.

Homes and trading centers were burned, disrupting commercial activities and forcing residents to abandon their properties.

The exact number of people killed or injured remained unclear, with no independently verified casualty figures available.

Moyale, approximately 780 kilometers (485 miles) north of Kenya's capital, Nairobi, and about 770 kilometers (478 miles) south of Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, by road, is a major commercial crossing between the two countries.

The border town serves communities in both countries, with close family and trading connections making it an important route for people fleeing insecurity.

The Kenya Red Cross said it was conducting a rapid assessment to determine the most urgent humanitarian needs and would continue coordinating with government authorities and other partners.