Madar (Nairobi) - Some 50,000 people have fled into Kenya to escape days of clashes in southern Ethiopia, the United Nations said on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, France 24 reported, citing AFP.
"According to local authorities, up to 50,000 people may have crossed the border into Kenya," the UN refugee agency UNHCR said, after reporting 36,000 crossings on Tuesday. It said the figure "remains provisional" as registration and verification continue.
The first fighting between the armed forces of Ethiopia's Somali and Oromia regions dates back to October 20, after a Somali region flag was raised in Moyale, a town on the Kenyan border jointly administered by the two regions, according to the same source. UNHCR said large cross-border movements had been reported since October 22.
Many of those fleeing are women and children. Some are staying with relatives or local communities, while others are in temporary shelter sites, the agency said.
UNHCR said it had deployed an emergency team to Moyale, working with the Kenyan government, other UN agencies and the Kenya Red Cross, and was providing household items and shelter materials for nearly 12,000 people, with plans to scale up assistance.
The clashes come amid tensions in Tigray, where fighting has recently resumed, and between Ethiopia and Eritrea, raising fears of a new war, according to the same source.
