A severe humanitarian crisis is unfolding along the Horn of Africa’s interior as escalating ethnic clashes in southern Ethiopia have forced more than 14,000 people to flee their homes, spilling across the border into northern Kenya.
The violence, centered in and around the border territory of Moyale, has pitted communities from Ethiopia’s Oromia and Somali regional states against one another. The displacement has sparked urgent appeals from local Kenyan leaders, who warn that border towns are reaching a breaking point under the strain of incoming refugees.
The latest wave of hostility reportedly erupted earlier this month following a localized territorial dispute. Tensions escalated rapidly after the flag of Ethiopia’s Somali Regional State was raised in a contested area, triggering armed confrontations between local groups and regional security forces from both the Oromia and Somali regions.
The clashes quickly turned deadly, causing widespread panic across residential areas. Families were forced to abandon their properties with little notice as fighting spread along key transport corridors, severing local supply lines and shutting down cross-border movement.
Thousands of fleeing civilians have sought refuge across the border in Kenya’s Marsabit County, primarily concentrated in the Moyale area. Women and children make up the vast majority of those arriving, many having walked long distances through harsh terrain without adequate access to food, clean water, or shelter.
The sudden influx has severely stretched local infrastructure in Marsabit. Water sources, emergency health facilities, and basic community services are facing heavy pressure. The crisis has also brought local economic activity to a standstill, disrupting informal market trading and stalling banking services in the border hub.
Emergency response units, led by the Kenya Red Cross, have initiated aid operations to deliver essential supplies, medical care, and temporary shelters to displaced families. However, local aid representatives warn that current resources remain insufficient to handle the sustained arrival of displaced populations if hostilities across the border do not abate quickly.
Speaking to journalists in Nairobi on Sunday, Marsabit County lawmakers—including Moyale MP Guyo Waqo Jaldesa and Saku MP Dido Ali Rasso—voiced deep concern over the deteriorating situation and urged President William Ruto’s administration to intervene.
“We are deeply concerned about the ongoing conflict on the Ethiopian side of the border in Moyale,” MP Rasso stated. “The situation is deeply concerning, and we hope for a swift, peaceful end to the hostility.”
The MPs called on both the Kenyan national government and the international humanitarian community to step up emergency assistance. They stressed that without immediate external aid, the refugee influx risks overwhelming local administration capabilities in Marsabit, Wajir, and Mandera counties.
In addition to seeking federal support, the legislators issued a strong plea to local communities in northern Kenya to maintain calm and avoid retaliatory actions. Because neighboring ethnic populations span both sides of the porous border, regional leaders fear the conflict could ignite local communal tensions.
“We strongly appeal to our local community members not to harm innocent civilians who live or work in our region. They have no involvement in the conflict taking place across the border,” the leaders said in a joint statement.
The lawmakers further urged security agencies and regional authorities to establish secure corridors, ensuring that vulnerable civilians seeking safety are guaranteed protection and safe passage across the region.
