10,000 Displaced as Ethiopia Fighting Spills Into Kenya
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MENAFN“The human cost of this conflict is already devastating,” Gov. Mohamud Ali said in a statement, citing a government-led assessment that found approximately 10,000 residents had been displaced within the county.
The same assessment estimated that more than 50,000 Ethiopians have crossed into Marsabit County to escape clashes in the Oromo and Somali areas of southern Ethiopia.
Gunfire and explosive devices tied to the conflict are threatening civilian settlements, forcing Kenyan border communities from their homes. Moyale, about 750 kilometers (466 miles) north of the capital Nairobi, has been hit hardest.
Ali warned that unexploded ordnance landing near homes and public facilities poses serious danger to civilians, especially children.
He said the fighting has disrupted schools, national examinations, electricity supplies and cross-border trade. Thousands of displaced families are now sheltering in temporary facilities and private homes.
“We are particularly alarmed by the public health risks arising from overcrowded shelters, shortages of essential medicines, worsening nutritional conditions and confirmed cases of measles and rubella,” he said.
Without urgent medical aid, vaccinations, better sanitation and nutritional support, the governor cautioned, further disease outbreaks could follow.
Local authorities are working with national agencies and humanitarian organizations to deliver emergency food, water, healthcare and shelter.
Ali appealed for more international support, saying existing resources cannot meet the escalating emergency. He also urged community leaders to discourage retaliation and keep the conflict from inflaming ethnic tensions.
The violence erupted Oct. 18 after a dispute over a regional flag and the killing of a 13-year-old girl. It has since spread to several districts along Ethiopia’s disputed Oromia-Somali boundary, where longstanding territorial tensions continue to threaten communities on both sides of the border.
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