Humanitarian groups in Moyale in northern Kenya are calling for urgent funding to support tens of thousands of people who have fled violent clashes in southern Ethiopia.

About 50,000 people have crossed into the Kenyan side of Moyale, a border town straddling northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia, where many are struggling to find food, water and shelter.

"Families who fled are facing serious shortages of food, water and adequate shelter, while the communities hosting them already have limited resources," said Nomagugu Ncube, Kenya chief of mission for the UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Hosts under strain

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Most of the displaced are staying with relatives or members of the local community, which puts pressure on food and water supplies that were already scarce. Others have taken refuge in schools and temporary sites, and some are sleeping outdoors.

The displacement follows renewed violence linked to a long-running dispute between Ethiopia's Oromia and Somali regions over land and administrative control.

On 18 October, a Somali flag was raised at an administrative office in Ethiopia's Moyale, a city jointly administered by the two regions.

This triggered an exchange of gunfire between local militias in which a 13-year-old girl was killed, sparking protests and further violence.

Thousands flee

The fighting spread across seven districts, leaving more than a dozen people dead and forcing tens of thousands to flee, many of them across the border into Kenya.

The Kenyan government is working with the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, to register new arrivals and assess their needs. Other humanitarian organisations, including the Kenya Red Cross, are also providing aid.

The Kenya Red Cross initially put the number of displaced people at 36,000. The IOM has since raised its estimate to 50,000, but the figure could rise further as assessments continue, and no comprehensive official count is yet available.

(with newswires)