Kenya: More than 50,000 refugees flee violence in southern Ethiopia

Clashes between Somali and Oromo communities over control of Moyale, a town on the Ethiopia-Kenya border, began on October 18 and are continuing. The UN refugee agency had initially counted about 36,600 displaced people, including 11,000 in six reception sites and 25,600 hosted by the Moyale community, but Kenyan authorities estimate that more than 50,000 may have crossed the border. Halima Hussein, a mother of three who arrived in Kenya a week ago, says her home was burned, she has no food, and she has lost contact with some family members. She says gunfire continues to injure people on Kenyan territory and that bodies have been seen along the route taken by those fleeing.