Ethiopian refugees flee into Kenya after ethnic groups clash
Thousands of Ethiopian refugees have fled into Kenya following clashes between two rival ethnic groups in the Ethiopia-Kenya border region of Moyale, which left dozens dead and scores of others critically injured.
Help us respond to emergencies>>
Eyewitness accounts say the fighting between the Borana and Garri communities in Ethiopia took place between 25 and 27 July following a disagreement over the resettlement of settlers from the Somali region in Ethiopia.
Our partners in Moyale say they have been told by Kenyan police that up to 75 people were killed in the fighting over the weekend and 30 others were critically injured and are hospitalised at the Moyale District hospital on the Kenyan side of the border. They say thousands of refugees from Ethiopia are now camped in schools and church compounds in Moyale, on the Kenyan side of the border.
Families camped in church compound
Father Edward Kidenyi from the Catholic Diocese of Moyale said:
“Many families from the Ethiopian side have been displaced and they have sought shelter in Moyale. On Sunday, three days after the fighting, more than 3,000 people had arrived in Somare in Moyale and they are camped in a local primary school and in our church compound. When I visited them on Sunday, I found them at the church compound and we were not able to conduct the Sunday mass due to their demand for support.”
Joseph Mirchigan, Development Coordinator of Catholic Diocese of Marsabit, a CAFOD partner that works in Moyale, said:
“We have already sent in 10 tonnes of emergency food - maize, beans, oil and uni-mix to help the refugees. We are also sending a team of four people to assess the level of need for those who have fled so that we can plan better for any long-term support to the displaced persons. CAFOD and its church partners in Kenya are monitoring the situation on the ground and working closely with other relief agencies in Moyale in order to assess the needs of refugees who are camped in schools and church compounds.”
Ethiopian government forces have been sent into the area and the situation is said to be calm.
Grave concern
Nelly Shonko, our Humanitarian Emergency Programme Manager in Nairobi, said:
“CAFOD expresses grave concern at the ethnic conflict across the border in southern Ethiopia, which has reportedly led to the loss of lives, scores of others critically injured and thousands displaced from their homes. From the Kenyan side of the border with Ethiopia, our partners continue to see large numbers of people fleeing into Moyale to seek shelter. Obviously innocent people have suffered from this horrific violence, particularly women and children, and they need support in terms of medical care, food, blankets, water and tents.
"We urge community members, local leaders, the administration, religious leaders and politicians in the affected region in Ethiopia to search for a peaceful solution to the conflict in order to reduce the suffering of innocent civilians.”
