Hundreds of Ethiopians have crossed into neighbouring Kenya after fighting erupted in the border town of Moyale, forcing families to flee their homes, Kenyan officials and humanitarian workers said on Thursday.
Clashes broke out on Wednesday in the Ethiopian section of Moyale, located in the southern Oromiya region, with residents reporting continued gunfire in parts of the town on Thursday.
The cause of the violence remains unclear, and Ethiopian authorities have yet to comment on the situation.
Stanley Kamande, a government commissioner in Kenya’s Marsabit County, confirmed that hundreds of people had crossed the border, with women and children accounting for most of those displaced.
Many of the arrivals have sought shelter with relatives and local residents in villages on the Kenyan side of Moyale, he said.
The Kenya Red Cross has begun assessing the humanitarian situation, including the number of displaced people and their immediate needs.
Red Cross official Ibrae John said no designated reception camps were currently available to accommodate those fleeing the violence, although efforts were underway to arrange assistance.
Moyale, a strategic trading town divided by the Ethiopia-Kenya border, serves as an important commercial and transport link between the two countries.
The latest fighting comes as Ethiopia continues to face multiple security challenges, including a separate conflict in its northern Tigray region, where government forces are battling a rebel alliance led by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.
The violence in Moyale is geographically separate from the Tigray conflict, and there has been no indication that the two are connected.
