Armed Militia Attack Kills Somali Civilians Near Kenya-Ethiopia Border

(MENAFN) At least eight Somali civilians, including women and children, were killed in an armed assault near Ethiopia's border with Kenya on Saturday morning, with local officials blaming the attack on Oromo militiamen.

The incident occurred in the Malkamari area of Mubaarak District, within Ethiopia's Dawa Zone, opposite Mandera County in northeastern Kenya.

According to local accounts, armed assailants stormed a pastoralist community in the early hours of Saturday, launching gunfire while residents were still asleep and leaving several people dead.

Local authorities identified an armed Oromo militia as responsible for the killings, although the reported circumstances and the perpetrators' involvement have not been independently confirmed.

The attack comes as tensions between Oromo and Somali communities continue to intensify across southern Ethiopia, particularly in areas affected by territorial disputes along the regional boundary. The escalating confrontations have driven thousands of people from their homes, with many crossing into neighboring Kenya to escape the violence.

Meanwhile, residents of Moyale, a town in northern Kenya near the Ethiopian border, reported hearing explosions and sustained gunfire overnight as clashes intensified across the border.

Footage shared across social media platforms appeared to capture some of the confrontations, although the authenticity of the circulating videos could not be independently verified.

The latest killings follow several weeks of escalating unrest that have forced thousands of civilians to flee and severely disrupted commercial activity, schooling and access to essential services in communities along the Kenya-Ethiopia frontier.

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