About 40,000 Ethiopians have crossed into Kenya to escape fighting in their country, with many now being hosted in Moyale, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has said.
Mudavadi said tensions in parts of Ethiopia had forced thousands of families to leave their homes and seek safety across the border.
“The issue is that from the Ethiopian side, they have been having a little bit of tension over there. So, the problem has caused about 40,000 people to evacuate to Kenya,” he said.
The Prime Cabinet Secretary said he had spoken to his Ethiopian counterpart and asked him to help calm the situation to allow those who had fled to return home.
“I told him to try and calm the situation in their country so that the refugees return to their homes,” Mudavadi said.
He added that the Ethiopian government had assured Kenya it was working to restore normalcy.
“They have promised us that they will do everything within their power to bring the situation back to normal and then everyone can come back,” he stated.
This comes after the violence that erupted in October 2026 between the forces of the two regions of Ethiopia; the Oromia and Somali regions. These two regional administrations have been having disputes over borders and administration since a long time ago.
The violence has led to many families being displaced into schools, churches, and makeshift camps while others have been accommodated with relatives and other members of the community.
