Anadolu Agency reported that more than 14,000 Ethiopians have crossed into Kenya, prompting the Kenya Red Cross to seek supplies for displaced families in Moyale.
In Moyale, the Red Cross counts more than 10,900 people in six temporary sites. Around 4,000 others have been taken in by relatives or host families.
Malik Adan, who heads the Upper Eastern region for the Kenya Red Cross, told reporters that the relief effort needs more food and water, along with sanitary items and toilets to reduce diarrheal disease.
The organization has distributed tents and bedding and is providing nutrition aid to children and breastfeeding mothers. Local officials have promised rice, beans and other food, while humanitarian officials cautioned that commitments may not be enough for the growing number of displaced people.
Marsabit County Commissioner Stanley Kamande put Ethiopian arrivals in Kenya at more than 2,000 in a Friday update, after violence began Wednesday. The latest figure follows our earlier report on displacement in Moyale.
Anadolu reported that the fighting pits people from Ethiopia's Oromo and Somali communities against each other in the south. The agency cited an unverified dispute over a Somali Regional State flag displayed in territory administered by Oromia as a possible source of heightened tensions. Anadolu also said the clashes have interrupted cross-border trade and raised concern about further displacement.
