36,000 flee violence around south Ethiopia border town to Kenya: UN
Several people have died during clashes between the armies of southern Ethiopia's Somali and Oromia regions in recent days, against a backdrop of territorial disputes, sources told AFP on Saturday.
Fighting erupted on Tuesday after a Somali regional flag was hoisted in Moyale, a city jointly administered between the two Ethiopian regions.
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Around 36,000 people have crossed into Kenya, fleeing violence in and around the Ethiopian border city of Moyale since tensions flared a week ago, the United Nations said Tuesday.
Several people have died during clashes between the armies of southern Ethiopia's Somali and Oromia regions in recent days, against a backdrop of territorial disputes, sources told AFP on Saturday.
Fighting erupted on Tuesday after a Somali regional flag was hoisted in Moyale, a city jointly administered between the two Ethiopian regions.
"Many of those arriving are women and children. While some have found refuge with relatives and local communities, others are sheltering in temporary locations. Food is the most urgent need, alongside safe drinking water, shelter, sanitation and healthcare."
UNHCR spokeswoman Eujin Byun told AFP that since Thursday, "there has been a significant increase in the number of people crossing from Ethiopia into Kenya through the Moyale border area".
UNHCR, along with the UN's migration, food and children's agencies, is working closely with the Kenya Red Cross Society and other humanitarian partners to support the response, led by the government of Kenya, the refugee agency said.
"Our immediate priority is to identify and address the urgent needs of people seeking safety, while also supporting the local communities generously welcoming them," it said.
The borderlands of its various regions are often the source of clashes.
For several years, the federal government has been locked in conflict with rebel movements in the Oromia and Amhara regions, the country's most populous.
After months of tensions, fighting has also broken out again in the northern Tigray region, already the scene of a devastating war from 2020 to 2022.
Diplomatic disagreements with neighbouring Eritrea have likewise led to fears of another conflict between the fractious Horn of Africa neighbours.