50,000 Flee Into Kenya as Food Runs Out

MOYALE, Kenya — Roughly 50,000 people have fled violent clashes in Ethiopia for the Moyale region of northern Kenya since late October, the International Organization for Migration said on November 9, 2026, as the agency and its partners called for urgent funding to feed and shelter them.

Read the UN News report: https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/11/1168762

The displaced are struggling to meet their basic needs, according to a rapid assessment of 758 households conducted by the Kenyan authorities with support from IOM, fellow UN agencies and non-governmental organizations, the report stated.

The Crossing, The Assessment, The Shortages

The assessment found that 71 per cent of households do not have enough to eat, and 80 per cent identify food as their most urgent need, the report stated.

Water and sanitation are also major concerns. Nearly half of the households, 44 per cent, reported insufficient access to drinking water, while more than three-quarters have no handwashing facility, the report stated.

More than half of households said they have difficulties accessing healthcare, mainly due to high costs and shortages of medicines, the report stated.

Children, Host Families, Strained Resources

Most of the displaced are staying with relatives or host community members in Moyale, adding to the demand for food, water and shelter. Others have sought refuge in schools and temporary sites, while some are sleeping outdoors, the report stated.

Nearly all households surveyed, 96 per cent, had fled mainly from the Oromia and Somali regions of Ethiopia. Nine in 10 people reported that their entire village had fled, highlighting the scale of the displacement, the report stated.

More than half of arrivals are children, including many under the age of five, raising concerns about their health and wellbeing amid worsening living conditions, IOM noted.

The Appeal, The Funding, What Comes Next

"Families who fled are facing serious shortages of food, water and adequate shelter, while communities hosting them are already facing limited resources," Nomagugu Ncube, IOM Kenya Chief of Mission, said.

IOM and its partners are calling for urgent funding to support the tens of thousands of people who have crossed the border, the report stated.

Sources

UN News, "Families who fled Ethiopia for Kenya's Moyale need food, water and shelter," November 9, 2026: https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/11/1168762