More than 50,000 displaced by deadly Ethiopia border clashes

What the report says

More than 50,000 people have been displaced by deadly clashes along the Ethiopia-Kenya border, according to figures cited by Al Jazeera from Kenyan officials, the Kenya Red Cross and humanitarian partners. The unrest is centred on the Moyale area, where tensions between Ethiopia’s Oromia and Somali regional administrations have intensified around disputed land and authority, with violence reportedly escalating after a flag-related incident in mid-October.

Al Jazeera reported that many of those fleeing have crossed into northern Kenya with little food, bedding or shelter, while others are staying with host families or in temporary sites. Aid workers and officials said women and children make up a large share of the arrivals, and that overcrowding is raising concerns about disease, including diarrhoea and malaria. Kenyan authorities said a refugee camp has not yet been opened because conditions remain insecure.

The influx is also straining local communities in Moyale, where residents are sharing scarce supplies and businesses have slowed as transport routes are disrupted. The article said trucks have been stuck near the border, some prices have risen, and several families have moved farther inland because of gunfire and heavy weapons.

Kenya and Ethiopia are both responding. Kenyan agencies, UNHCR and the Red Cross are coordinating assistance and registration, while the Ethiopian Red Cross has distributed emergency relief inside Ethiopia. Officials in Kenya have also said additional police will be deployed along the border as they seek to contain the fallout from the fighting.