At least 8 killed in militia attack near Kenya-Ethiopia border

NAIROBI, Kenya – At least eight Somali civilians, including women and children, were killed Saturday morning in an attack allegedly carried out by armed Oromo militiamen in southern Ethiopia near the Kenyan border, local authorities said.

The killings took place in the Malkamari area of Mubaarak District in Ethiopia’s Dawa Zone, across the border from Kenya’s northeastern Mandera County.

According to local reports, the attackers descended on a pastoralist settlement early Saturday, catching residents asleep before opening fire.

Local authorities attributed the killings to an armed Oromo militia, although the circumstances surrounding the attack could not be independently verified.

The latest violence comes amid escalating tensions between ethnic Oromo and Somali communities in southern Ethiopia, where clashes have spread across several areas along the disputed regional boundary, forcing thousands of refugees escaping the violence to the Kenyan side.

Residents in Kenya’s northern border town of Moyale also reported hearing heavy gunfire and explosions overnight as fighting intensified on the Ethiopian side.

Videos circulating on social media appeared to show the clashes, although their authenticity could not be independently established.

The attack follows weeks of violence that have displaced thousands of civilians and disrupted trade, education, and essential services along the Kenya-Ethiopia border.

On Friday, Marsabit Governor Mohamud Ali said two Kenyans had been killed by stray bullets, 22 others injured, and approximately 10,000 residents displaced by fighting in neighboring Ethiopia.

He also reported that more than 50,000 Ethiopians had crossed into Kenya seeking refuge, placing additional pressure on communities already struggling with limited humanitarian resources.

The latest killings have heightened fears of further violence and displacement as authorities on both sides of the border grapple with the worsening security situation.