Ethiopia: Families Who Fled Ethiopia for Kenya's Moyale Need Food, Water and Shelter

What the report says

The International Organization for Migration and humanitarian partners are seeking urgent funding to help tens of thousands of people who have fled violent clashes in Ethiopia and crossed into the Moyale area of northern Kenya, according to UN News Service material republished by AllAfrica. The influx has strained local resources, with many displaced families staying with relatives or host households, while others are in schools, temporary sites or sleeping outside.

A rapid assessment of 758 households, carried out by Kenyan authorities with support from IOM, UN agencies and NGOs, found widespread shortages of food, water and shelter. The assessment indicated that most households were struggling to meet basic needs, and that food was the most immediate concern for many arrivals. Water and sanitation problems were also reported, along with limited access to healthcare because of costs and medicine shortages.

IOM said most of those arriving came from Ethiopia’s Oromia and Somali regions and that many appear to have fled entire villages. More than half of the new arrivals are children, including many under age five, which has raised concerns about their health and wellbeing. The situation is significant because it is placing additional pressure on communities in a border region that was already operating with limited resources.