UN agencies seek Ksh1.16 billion to aid up to 50,000 people fleeing clashes in Ethiopia into Kenya

United Nations agencies are seeking roughly $9 million, to provide emergency assistance to as many as 50,000 people who have fled intercommunal clashes in Ethiopia and crossed into Kenya, the Kenyan newspaper People Daily reported. The Standard, another Kenyan newspaper, reported the same total in its headline, describing it as the amount needed to provide food for 50,000 people fleeing violence in Ethiopia.

The scale of the response will depend on how many people are already in Kenya and how many more are expected. Available reporting does not yet answer either question.

Who is behind the appeal

According to People Daily, the appeal is led by UN agencies including the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and the UN children's agency (UNICEF). The Standard's headline does not name the agencies involved.

The two newspapers describe the purpose of the money differently. People Daily presents it as funding for emergency assistance in general. The Standard's headline presents the full Ksh1.16 billion as money needed for food. It is not clear whether food is the main item in the appeal or whether the sum also covers other needs.

How many people have crossed

People Daily's headline says 50,000 Ethiopians have fled into Kenya, while the body of its report describes the appeal as covering "up to 50,000 people." The Standard's headline also refers to 50,000 people fleeing into Kenya. The "up to" wording suggests that 50,000 may be a planning figure for the response rather than a count of arrivals so far. The number of people who have already crossed has not been reported.

People Daily attributes the displacement to intercommunal clashes in Ethiopia. The Standard's headline refers more generally to violence in Ethiopia. Neither outlet's available reporting identifies where the fighting is taking place, which communities are involved or when it began. The points where people are entering Kenya, and where they are being sheltered, have also not been reported.

Background

Ethiopia and Kenya share a long border. Communities on both sides are linked by kinship, trade and the seasonal movement of livestock. Competition over grazing land and water has periodically led to violence among communities in the borderlands. People have crossed into Kenya during past periods of unrest, including through Moyale, a town that straddles the border.

Kenya already hosts a large refugee population, mostly in the Dadaab and Kakuma camp complexes. The largest groups come from Somalia and South Sudan. Humanitarian funding for refugee operations in the region has come under strain as donor budgets have tightened.

What remains unknown

Available reporting does not say whether Kenya's government will grant the new arrivals refugee status or another form of protection. It also does not include comment from Ethiopian federal or regional authorities on the clashes or on efforts to end them. The period the appeal is meant to cover, and how much of it donors have funded so far, have not been reported.

Sources: People Daily, The Standard