At least two Kenyans were killed, 22 others wounded by stray bullets and 10,000 displaced by fighting in neighboring Ethiopia, the governor of Marsabit County said Friday.
"The human cost of this conflict is already devastating," Gov. Mohamud Ali said in a statement, citing a government-led assessment that found approximately 10,000 residents had been displaced within the county.
The assessment also estimated that more than 50,000 Ethiopians had crossed into Kenya's Marsabit County seeking safety from fighting in the Oromo and Somali areas of southern Ethiopia.
Communities on the Kenyan side of the border have been forced to flee their homes as gunfire and explosive devices linked to the conflict threaten civilian settlements.
The violence has particularly affected Moyale, located about 750 kilometers (466 miles) north of the capital Nairobi.
Ali warned that unexploded ordnance falling near residential areas and public facilities posed serious risks to civilians, particularly children.
He said the fighting has disrupted schools, national examinations, electricity supplies and cross-border trade, leaving thousands of displaced families sheltering in temporary facilities and private homes.
"We are particularly alarmed by the public health risks arising from overcrowded shelters, shortages of essential medicines, worsening nutritional conditions and confirmed cases of measles and rubella," he said.
The governor warned that additional disease outbreaks were possible without urgent medical assistance, vaccinations, improved sanitation and nutritional support.
Local authorities are coordinating emergency food, water, healthcare and shelter assistance with national agencies and humanitarian organizations.
Ali appealed for additional international support, saying available resources were insufficient to address the growing emergency.
He urged community leaders to discourage retaliation and prevent the conflict from fueling ethnic tensions.
The violence erupted Oct. 18 following a dispute over a regional flag and the killing of a 13-year-old girl. It has since spread to several districts along Ethiopia's disputed Oromia-Somali boundary, where longstanding territorial tensions continue to threaten communities on both sides of the border.
