The Kenya Red Cross Society has launched an emergency relief operation in Moyale, Marsabit County, to assist families escaping deadly clashes in neighbouring Ethiopia, with the first phase targeting 1,000 households.
The humanitarian agency said on Thursday that the displaced families had crossed into Kenya with few belongings and urgently needed food, shelter, clean water and medical care as fighting continued in southern Ethiopia.
Red Cross teams are working alongside the Marsabit County Government, national authorities and humanitarian partners to set up temporary shelters and distribute essential supplies. These include tents, blankets, sleeping mats, jerrycans and kitchen sets to help families meet their immediate needs.
The agency is also distributing Super Cereal, a fortified porridge flour designed to support young children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers. Its teams are providing first aid to people who need medical attention. In addition, the organisation is helping relatives separated during the displacement reconnect through its family-links service.
“Our priority is to make sure every family arriving in Moyale is safe, sheltered and treated with dignity. Our volunteers and staff are on the ground and will continue to respond as needs evolve,” said Kenya Red Cross Secretary General Ahmed Idris.
The families fled violence in Moyale on the Ethiopian side of the border, where security forces from the Oromia and Somali regions clashed amid rising tensions over a regional flag dispute.
The conflict followed objections to the display of the Somali Regional State flag at a local administrative office in an area governed by Ethiopia’s Oromia Regional State.
Tensions escalated after the killing of a 13-year-old girl on October 18. Armed confrontations, accompanied by heavy gunfire, began on Wednesday night and intensified on Thursday.
Residents reported exchanges of gunfire between regional security forces, while local officials said the fighting had spread to Gumi Eldallo, Wachile and Arero districts in southern Ethiopia, according to local media reports.
The violence also left homes and trading centres burned, disrupted business activities and forced residents to abandon their properties. Authorities had not established the exact number of people killed or injured and independently verified casualty figures were unavailable.
The Kenya Red Cross said it was carrying out a rapid assessment to identify the most urgent needs among the displaced families. The agency will continue coordinating with government authorities and humanitarian partners as the situation develops.