Eight Somali civilians killed in militia attack in southern Ethiopia near Kenya border

Detailed summary

At least eight Somali civilians, including women and children, were killed Saturday morning in an attack allegedly carried out by ...

ADDIS ABABA — 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 attack occurred 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, armed attackers raided a pastoralist settlement early Saturday, catching residents asleep before opening fire.

Local authorities blamed the killings on an armed Oromo militia, although the circumstances of the attack could not be independently verified.

The incident 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.

The violence has forced thousands of civilians to flee their homes, with many crossing into neighboring Kenya in search of safety.

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

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

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

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