United Nations agencies appealed on Thursday for $8.9 million (Sh1.1 billion) to meet life-saving needs over the next three months as tens of thousands of people flee clashes in Ethiopia and cross into northern Kenya.
The appeal was issued jointly by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the World Food Programme (WFP), and is intended to support up to 50,000 people. The agencies said they are planning a response for up to 80,000 people in anticipation of further arrivals.
In a separate humanitarian update released on the same day in Nairobi, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the security situation on the Ethiopian side of Moyale remained volatile, with newly arrived refugees and asylum-seekers recounting widespread damage to homes and neighbourhoods.
“People sheltering near the border faced heightened protection risks, and humanitarian partners were working with local authorities in Kenya to relocate them to safer locations,” OCHA said.
Fighting in Ethiopia’s Moyale area, which began on October 18 and escalated into armed clashes on October 22, has continued to displace residents internally and drive cross-border movements into Moyale Sub-County, Marsabit County, northern Kenya, the agency added.
According to county authorities, an estimated 50,000 people had crossed into Kenya as of November 3, with the majority sheltering among host communities on the Kenyan side of Moyale. Women and children make up the vast majority of the new arrivals.
The humanitarian situation has been compounded by reports of continuing violence on the Ethiopian side of the border. Conflict has been reported in seven districts around Moyale, while the clashes have dragged into a ninth day with civilian hardship mounting. Three Kenyans have been killed and 20 injured since the fighting erupted, underscoring the cross-border impact of the violence.
The influx has also placed significant strain on host communities in Marsabit County, who have opened their homes and shared limited resources with the new arrivals. Humanitarian partners warn that without additional funding, essential services—including shelter, food, water, sanitation and child protection—will be stretched beyond capacity.
Kenya has begun registering the Ethiopian refugees, with arrivals at Moyale surpassing 50,000, as authorities and aid groups race to establish safer relocation sites away from the volatile border area. The registration exercise is seen as a critical step in ensuring new arrivals can access assistance and protection.
The joint appeal comes amid a broader humanitarian crisis in the region, with UN teams already preparing for winter storms affecting displaced populations elsewhere, including in Gaza, where gunfire recently damaged tents at a Rafah displacement site. In Ethiopia, survivors have continued to flee violence, including from the Hayiq Jari IDP camp following a deadly drone strike.
Aid agencies have stressed that the window to respond effectively is narrowing. With the security situation on the Ethiopian side of Moyale still volatile and new arrivals continuing daily, the UN and its partners say the $8.9 million appeal is urgently needed to prevent a further deterioration in the conditions faced by refugees and the communities hosting them.
