Gunfire rocks Ethiopia-Kenya border as hundreds flee

Hundreds of Ethiopians crossed into Kenya on Thursday as gunfire and chaotic scenes were reported in the border town of Moyale, police said.

A police officer was struck on the head after a bullet hit a metal bar supporting a tent at the Moyale police station’s football ground. He was not injured, according to a police report. A woman was shot in the neck and taken to a private hospital in Moyale, where the bullet was removed. She was reported to be in stable condition.

Another bullet shattered a window at La-Tahsan Hotel, the report said. Police did not identify the source of the bullets.

In a separate security brief dated Thursday, police said hundreds of Ethiopians had crossed into Kenya through several entry points in Moyale, including the Sessi, Kore, Biashara, Foundation and Miti areas.

The crossings began on Wednesday, with women, children and young people making up most of the arrivals, the brief said.

According to Kenyan police, the arrivals were fleeing tensions between leaders of Ethiopia ’s Oromia and Somali regional states.

The Kenya Red Cross said it was setting up temporary shelter and distributing essential items including cereal and porridge flour. “The response will initially reach 1,000 households,” Red Cross wrote in a statement.

Gunfire was heard on the Ethiopian side of the border from about 5:50 a.m. on Thursday and continued afterward, the brief said.