MOYALE, Kenya- The Kenya Red Cross Society is scaling up emergency aid for families who have crossed into Moyale, Marsabit County, after fighting broke out in the Ethiopian border town.
The humanitarian agency said it was setting up temporary shelters and distributing tents and household items to families who arrived with few belongings and urgently needed shelter, food, water and healthcare.
Its initial response is expected to reach 1,000 households.
Supplies include blankets, sleeping mats, jerrycans and kitchen sets.
The agency is also providing Super Cereal, a fortified porridge flour, to support young children and pregnant and breastfeeding women.
Kenya Red Cross teams are offering first aid and conducting a rapid needs assessment to establish the scale of displacement and identify urgent priorities, the organisation said in a statement issued on Thursday.
The assessment is examining needs for food, safe water, sanitation and hygiene, primary healthcare and protection, particularly for women, children, older people and persons with disabilities.
The agency is also working to reconnect family members who may have been separated while fleeing.
“We want to make sure every family arriving in Moyale is safe, sheltered and treated with dignity,” said Dr Ahmed Idris, Secretary General of the Kenya Red Cross Society.
Families staying with relatives
Hundreds of Ethiopians, mainly women and children, have crossed into Kenya following the fighting, Marsabit County Commissioner Stanley Kamande told Reuters.
Many were staying with relatives and well-wishers in villages on the Kenyan side of Moyale.
The settlement of Moyale straddles the Kenya-Ethiopia border.
Fighting broke out on Wednesday, and residents reported hearing gunfire in parts of the town on the Ethiopian side the following day.
The cause of the fighting was not immediately clear, Reuters reported.
Kenya Red Cross official Ibrae John told Reuters that no camp was ready to host those displaced, as the agency assessed the number of people affected and their needs.
The agency said its response is being coordinated with the Marsabit County Government, national authorities and partners.
It did not provide a confirmed total of people who had crossed the border in its statement.
The organisation said aid would be provided based on need, in line with the principles of humanity, impartiality and neutrality.
It said its teams and volunteers remained on the ground and would continue responding as needs emerged.
The arrival of displaced families is adding to the humanitarian needs in Moyale, where people who fled the fighting require immediate shelter, food, clean water and medical support.
