IOM says about 50,000 people fleeing Ethiopia have reached Moyale, Kenya; aid planned for up to 80,000

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on 29 October that an estimated 50,000 people fleeing clashes in Ethiopia had arrived in Moyale, in Kenya's Marsabit County, and that the Kenyan government and inter-agency partners were planning a response covering up to 80,000 people.

The statement, issued from Geneva and Nairobi, says arrival figures remain preliminary and may change as more information becomes available. Most of those arriving are staying with communities along the border, while others are in five temporary sites. IOM Kenya Chief of Mission Nomagugu Ncube said: “Thousands of people have crossed into Kenya seeking safety, and most are being sheltered by local communities. The situation remains fluid, and the numbers of arrivals could increase in the coming days.”

Fica News reported on 28 October that the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) had put the number at about 40,000 on 27 October, with more than 15,000 in eight temporary shelters and more than 20,000 staying with relatives and friends. UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, had recorded 36,000 arrivals on 27 October.

UNHCR's Kenya representative, Fatima Mohammed-Cole, gave a higher figure, AFP reported on 29 October. “According to local authorities, up to an estimated 50,000 people have crossed into Kenya,” she said. She said the number could change quickly because new crossings were still being recorded, and that many of those who fled are women and children.

Capital Ethiopia, an Ethiopian English-language newspaper, reported on 28 October that humanitarian agencies put arrivals at an estimated 50,000 and cautioned that the figure remained preliminary. The paper said the displaced were spread across six temporary sites and that about 200 people had reportedly sought refuge at a police station in neighbouring Mandera County.

The Kenya Red Cross said, as quoted by Arab News Pakistan on 27 October, that people were sheltering in six camps and in villages within host communities. “More food supplies are reaching the camps and our volunteers are helping prepare and serve hot meals every day,” it said.

IOM lists water, shelter, healthcare and basic supplies as the needs of the new arrivals, along with protection and sanitation services. It says host communities already face strain on resources and services, which could worsen if more people cross.

IOM said it is planning an emergency response that would support shelter and essential household items, including targeted emergency shelter for the most vulnerable families, together with water tanks and water purifying tablets. It is supporting assessments through its Displacement Tracking Matrix, which collects information about displaced people to help identify priority needs and guide assistance. The agency is working with the Government of Kenya, UNHCR, the Department of Refugee Services and other humanitarian partners.

Capital Ethiopia said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that about 100 metric tons of dry food rations are required to cover two months of immediate needs for displaced households and host communities. Local authorities report shortages of supplies used to treat moderate acute malnutrition, crowding at the temporary sites raises the risk of waterborne diseases, and humanitarian partners want additional protection services, the paper said. Displaced families also need emergency shelter and essential household items.

Relief partners have mobilised supplies to provide dry food rations to more than 15,000 people in the coming days, and a joint rapid multisectoral assessment is under way, the paper said. UNHCR has sent an emergency team to the region and is working with the Kenyan government and humanitarian groups including the Red Cross.

A VCG photograph published by CGTN Africa shows displaced Ethiopians on 29 October waiting for treatment at a Kenya Red Cross mobile medical camp set up in an abandoned school in Moyale.