Clashes between the regional armies of southern Ethiopia’s Somali and Oromia states have resulted in multiple fatalities in recent days, sources reported. The fighting began on Tuesday in Moyale, a border town jointly administered by the two regions near the Kenya-Ethiopia border, following the raising of a Somali regional flag.

The incident led to a confrontation that reportedly claimed the life of a 13-year-old girl, according to data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), which cited at least five additional deaths. Residents described intense fighting, with Somali forces using heavy weapons from large buildings in the town, while Oromia forces responded with counterattacks. Civilians were also reported to have been killed and injured amid the clashes.

The federal government, headed by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who hails from the Oromia region, had not made an official statement regarding the violence at the time of reporting. The conflict has displaced at least 10,000 people, who have crossed into Kenya seeking refuge, according to Malik Adan of the Kenyan Red Cross.

Ethiopia, Africa’s second-most populous nation with nearly 130 million inhabitants, continues to experience various internal conflicts. Border disputes remain a frequent source of tension among its regional states, whose boundaries were historically drawn in 1991. In addition to the ongoing clashes between Somali and Oromia forces, the federal government has faced armed opposition from rebel groups in Oromia and Amhara regions, the country’s most populous.

Tensions have also escalated in the northern Tigray region, where conflict reignited after a devastating war that lasted from 2020 to 2022. Relations with neighboring Eritrea remain strained, raising concerns over potential renewed hostilities between the two countries in the volatile Horn of Africa region.