Families leaving their homes to save their lives from gunfire... women giving birth along the way... infants suffering without food... It is said that the number of people who have taken refuge in neighboring Kenya to save their lives from the violence that has erupted in Ethiopia’s Moyale region has crossed 50,000.
The clash that began with hoisting a flag!
In Ethiopia’s Moyale region, a long-standing dispute over land and administrative authority has persisted between the two regional administrations of Oromia and Somali. Tensions escalated after the Somali regional flag was hoisted in the disputed area on October 18, and violent incidents, including gunfire, have taken place. As a result, civilians began leaving their homes.
“My house was set on fire!”
A woman named Hawa Hassan, who fled violence and came to Kenya, has shared about this violence.
“During the violence, my house was set on fire. A 13-year-old girl who was sitting near the wall was shot dead. That girl had not even touched any weapon,” she said, and further added, “Many women gave birth on the way while fleeing.
Many families have arrived without any basic necessities such as food, cooking utensils, or bed sheets.” She also said that newborn babies are now having to sleep on the ground, while diarrhea is spreading and fears of malaria are increasing.
Refugees have crossed 50,000!
As of October 24, a government-led survey said 35,950 people had been displaced. Of them, 25,000 were staying in local residents’ homes, and about 11,000 were in temporary camps. Later, Malik Adan, the regional head of the Kenya Red Cross Society, said the number had crossed 50,000. This is still an estimate that has not been finally confirmed.
Crisis for those who extended a helping hand too!
The people of Kenya are sheltering refugees in their homes. Families that used to cook for five or six people now have to prepare food for 20 to 30 people. Some Kenyan families have also moved to safer places after bullets fell near their homes.
Trade at a standstill... prices soaring!
Cargo trucks have been stuck for two weeks on the main trade route connecting Mombasa in Kenya and Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. Not only that, but with banks closed, the circulation of Ethiopian currency has also been affected. As a result, the prices of goods have risen by about 20 percent.
Help on one side…
Gunfire on the other!
The Kenyan government, in coordination with the UN refugee agency, is organizing food, shelter, and medical assistance. Meanwhile, the Ethiopian Red Cross Society has provided relief supplies worth 30 million Ethiopian birr to 1,000 families.
Kenya has deployed additional police officers out of fear that armed groups may cross the border. Police chief Douglas Kanja, who visited there on November 5, said that talks are under way with the Ethiopian government.
Security analysts warn that this conflict goes beyond a border dispute between the two regions and also exposes ethnic and political tensions.
However, reports that gunfire is continuing have raised fears that many more people will have to be displaced. 'Earlier, we used to provide food to just this one town. Now we have to take care of the needs of two towns ourselves,' said Abdi Malim of the Moyale Cross-Border Peace Committee.
In the long-standing dispute over territory and administrative authority, the violence that erupted following an incident of flag-hoisting has today turned the lives of thousands upside down. Amid political decisions about borders, no one should forget the suffering of the people who have been left homeless. All they ask for is one thing... peace, and the safety to return to their homes!