More than 60,000 Somali refugees have fled to Ethiopia after escalated fighting in the town of Ras Anod in the Sur region. Tensions have been building for weeks between locals and the authorities of the ruling State of Somalia.
Refugees have arrived in parts of Ethiopia after five consecutive failed spots of rain followed by a drought. Many more are sleeping outdoors or taking refuge in schools and other public buildings. This is a report according to the United Nations.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNHCR spokeswoman Olga Salad Mulu said;
“exhausted and traumatised, they have arrived with very little, only taking what they could carry. Women told staff from UNHCR that they had to sell their belongings to pay for transportation. Many of them have lost loved ones in the clashes or have been separated during fights”.
The United Nations said 89% of her 185,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in and around Las Anod are women and children without adequate shelter. According to the Red Crescent, some people have been forced to flee areas hit by severe drought after repeated failed rains. At least 82 people were killed in the fighting, with damage to medical facilities, water and power supplies which shelled civilian areas.
