More people displaced amid continuing land rows

Clashes caused by disputes over land ownership between neighbouring clans in southern Ethiopia have displaced large numbers of people in the region over the past three weeks, aid workers said. The fighting, which pits members of the Guji community against their Borena neighbours, has claimed up to 150 lives and forced tens of thousands of people to flee their villages around the towns of Shakiso, Arero and Yabello, according to local officials and aid workers. In Arero, about 450 km south of the capital, Addis Ababa, "between 27,000 and 29,000 people have been displaced since the beginning of the clashes three weeks ago," regional administrator Jaatanni Taadhii said on Friday. In Yabello, about 500 km south of the capital, the number of those displaced was between 37,000 and 39,000 people, according to an aid worker in Yabello who requested anonymity. "The tension is still high, and sporadic clashes are still taking place," he added. According to Oxfam, more than 20,000 people have been reported displaced in the Shakiso area. "With the Ethiopian Red Cross, we have started distributing blankets, jerrycans and teapots to help the displaced," said Liz Lucas, spokeswoman for Oxfam. The dispute flared up on 23 May and turned violent a week later when the Guji laid claim to land previously occupied by the Borena following changes in the administrative boundaries. The towns of Shakiso, Arero and Yabello all lie within about 100 km of each other and about 500 km south of the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has expressed concern over the violence, saying many of those displaced required immediate assistance.