Several Dead in Ethiopian Border Clashes

Territorial disputes between regional armies in southern Ethiopia have sparked deadly clashes in the border city of Moyale, killing several civilians and forcing thousands to flee into neighbouring Kenya.

Fighting erupted on Tuesday after forces raised a Somali regional flag in Moyale, a key border hub jointly administered by Ethiopia’s Somali and Oromia regions.

The act triggered “a confrontation that resulted in the death of a 13-year-old girl,” according to the ACLED conflict monitoring group, which reported at least five additional fatalities as the violence escalated.

Heavy gunfire and artillery exchanges quickly engulfed the municipality as both sides deployed regional troops.

“Somali fighters are firing heavy weapons from large buildings in the town while Oromia forces are fighting back,” resident Wako Ganale told reporters by phone amid audible gunfire.

Another resident, Hussein Halkeno, confirmed that “several civilians had been killed and wounded in the clashes.” Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s federal administration has not yet issued an official statement regarding the border conflict.

The regional violence has created an immediate humanitarian emergency across the international frontier.

Kenya Red Cross official Malik Adan reported that at least 10,000 displaced residents have fled across the border to escape the ongoing shelling.

The clashes add to widespread instability across Africa’s second most populous nation, where federal forces remain locked in ongoing conflicts across the Oromia, Amhara, and Tigray regions alongside rising diplomatic friction with neighbouring Eritrea.