UN agencies seek US$8.9m for up to 50,000 people who fled Ethiopia to Moyale, Kenya

Four United Nations agencies have appealed for US$8.9 million to meet life-saving needs over the next three months for people who fled fighting in Ethiopia's Moyale area into northern Kenya, Xinhua reported from Nairobi on 5 November. The appeal was issued jointly by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the World Food Programme (WFP).

The appeal is meant to support up to 50,000 people. The agencies are planning to respond to the needs of up to 80,000 people in case more arrive.

The fighting in Ethiopia's Moyale area began on 18 October and escalated into armed clashes on 22 October. It has displaced residents inside Ethiopia and driven people across the border into Moyale Sub-County in Marsabit County, northern Kenya.

County authorities estimated that about 50,000 people had crossed into Kenya as of 3 November. Most are staying with host communities in Moyale, and women and children make up the vast majority of new arrivals.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) released a separate update in Nairobi on 5 November. It said the security situation on the Ethiopian side of Moyale remains volatile and that humanitarian access is constrained in some border areas, including Somare. Newly arrived refugees and asylum seekers described widespread damage to homes and neighbourhoods. People sheltering near the border face heightened protection risks, and humanitarian partners are working with Kenyan local authorities to relocate them to safer locations.

A photograph published by CGTN with the report shows displaced people gathered on 4 November at OMC Secondary School, a temporary resettlement centre in Moyale, to receive food assistance.