NAIROBI, Kenya- About 36,000 people have crossed into Kenya from Ethiopia to escape violence around the border town of Moyale, the UN refugee agency says, as humanitarian agencies and Kenyan authorities respond to the growing influx.
Many of those arriving are women and children, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which said it is working with other UN agencies and humanitarian partners to support the national and local response.
The influx is placing pressure on food, clean water, shelter, sanitation and health services in the area.
KNCHR said more than 15,000 people were staying in eight temporary shelters, while more than 20,000 others were hosted by relatives and friends.
The commission named St Mary’s Catholic Church, Harhosha Secondary School, Manyatta Burji, Sessi and Lanzi Mosque Hospital among locations being used as shelters. It also reported that rain in the Moyale area had raised concerns about people’s exposure and sanitation.
The commission said the situation had been reported calm on both sides of the border on Tuesday morning.
The Kenya Red Cross began an emergency response earlier in the week, initially targeting 1,000 households.
Its reported assistance included temporary shelter, food, water containers, blankets and other basic supplies, as well as first aid and support to reconnect family members separated during the displacement.
The latest UNHCR statement says the agency is supporting the response alongside UN agencies and humanitarian partners.
The scale and changing number of arrivals are increasing demands on local services and host families in Marsabit County.
Violence disrupts life around the border
Moyale lies on the Kenya-Ethiopia border, with settlements on both sides.
The latest arrivals have crossed into the Kenyan side after violence around the Ethiopian town, where tensions have been reported between security forces and communities linked to the Oromia and Somali regions.
Earlier accounts linked the clashes to tensions over the display of a Somali regional flag at a local administrative office in an area administered by Oromia.
The insecurity has also affected cross-border trade.
Y News has established that trucks were unable to move goods across the border in either direction and that some shops near the One-Stop Border Post had closed amid fears of stray bullets and uncertainty.
Kenyan security personnel have been deployed along the border.
UNHCR said it is working with national and local authorities, UN agencies and humanitarian partners as the response continues.
