Kenya's Mudavadi asks Ethiopia to calm situation so Moyale displaced can go home

Kenya's Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has asked his Ethiopian counterpart to calm the situation across the border so that people who fled to Moyale Sub-County, in Marsabit County in northern Kenya, can go home, The Star and Citizen Digital reported on 9 November.

"I told him to try and calm the situation in their country so that the refugees return to their homes," Mudavadi said. He said Ethiopia had given Kenya assurances: "They have assured us that they will do their best to return the issues to normalcy and then the people can go back."

The Kenyan government puts the number of people hosted in Moyale at about 40,000.

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, reported on 29 October that many people had crossed into Kenya, and many of those fleeing were women and children, The Star said. Families are sheltering in schools, churches and temporary camps, or with host communities and relatives. Humanitarian agencies have identified food, safe drinking water, emergency shelter, sanitation and health care as some of the most urgent needs. Kenya's Department of Refugee Services and the county authorities are coordinating the response with UNHCR and other humanitarian groups.

Four UN agencies appealed on 5 November for US$8.9 million for up to 50,000 people, Xinhua reported. Citizen Digital reported on 5 November that more than 50,000 people fleeing the conflict were being hosted in over seven camps, with others staying with local communities.

The Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, visited Moyale and chaired a high-level security meeting with senior security officials, the Kenya Red Cross and humanitarian agencies. Kanja said gunfire had been reported day and night since the clashes began on 22 October, and that the government was pursuing diplomatic efforts to find a lasting solution.

"The humanitarian agencies have done well. I want to ensure security is restored so that peace can prevail," Kanja said.

The government has confirmed the death of one Kenyan, a 65-year-old woman reportedly hit by a stray bullet from the Ethiopian side.

The Star reported that suspected stray bullets and unexploded explosives had landed on the Kenyan side of the border, and that Kanja ordered more officers deployed to Moyale on 5 November.

The fighting has disrupted life and trade in the border region, where communities on both sides have long-standing family, social and commercial ties. As of 5 November, scores of truck drivers were stranded in Ethiopia, and trailers headed to Ethiopia were parked on the Kenyan side.