Nearly 40,000 Ethiopians Flee to Kenya Amid Regional Fighting
The Government of Kenya is coordinating a humanitarian response after nearly 40,000 people fled ethnic violence between Ethiopia's Somali and Oromia regions.
Approximately 36,000 to 40,000 people have fled southern Ethiopia into northern Kenya following an escalation in fighting between the Somali and Oromia regional forces. The violence intensified last week after a Somali regional flag was hoisted in Moyale, a border city jointly administered by both regions. This incident triggered deadly clashes between regional armies and armed civilians over long-standing territorial disputes and resource competition.
The Government of Kenya is leading the humanitarian response, supported by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the Kenya Red Cross Society. Displaced persons are split between temporary shelters—including schools and the Oriental Mission Church compound—and local border communities. The surge has caused critical shortages of food, clean water, and healthcare.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights has warned of potential communicable disease outbreaks and a lack of maternal care, urging both the Kenyan and Ethiopian governments to coordinate efforts to stop the violence. The commission emphasized the international principle of non-refoulement to ensure the humane treatment of civilians fleeing the conflict.
