Officials report thousands displaced by conflicts in Ethiopia and Cambodia

Kenyan official reports arrivals from Ethiopia

Clashes between ethnic Oromo and Somali communities in Ethiopia killed at least nine people, a Marsabit County commissioner said in an account reported by Anadolu Agency. The Kenyan official said the fighting prompted more than 2,000 people to cross the border and seek refuge in Kenya.

Cambodian body says about 20,000 cannot return

The Cambodian Human Rights Committee said about 20,000 Cambodians displaced by the Cambodia–Thailand border conflict remain unable to return to their homes. According to the committee, their safe return had been guaranteed in a December 27 ceasefire.

The issue was discussed during an October 22 meeting in Phnom Penh between committee president and Senior Minister Keo Remy and Phil Robertson, director of Asia Human Rights and Labour Advocates, the Phnom Penh Post reported. According to a committee press release cited by the publication, Remy said civilians remained unable to return and described the situation as an attempt to establish a new reality on the ground. The Cambodian side characterised the situation as a serious human rights violation.

Robertson expressed regret over human rights issues linked to the border conflict and supported statements concerning displaced Cambodian civilians by Thomas Andrews, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Cambodia, according to the Phnom Penh Post.