At least 12 dead and dozens injured in clashes in Ethiopia

On September 18, MSF teams “led with a mass arrival of wounded people after episodes of violence in the special “woreda” [an administrative subdivision] of Itang,” on the border with South Sudan, said the organization in a statement released on Sunday night.

“ The health center received 88 patients affected by this violence. Eight were already dead and four died on arrival (...), despite the efforts of the medical teams ", added MSF.

The head of the MSF operations in Ethiopia, Gul Badshah, called on “all parties involved to exercise moderation and protect civilians from new violence,” but did not provide details about the perpetrators of the attacks.

Conflicts between communities are frequent in the regional state of Gambella, where more than 400,000 refugees live — the vast majority of South Sudanese who have fled violence in the youngest country in the world.

Several armed groups operate throughout the country, with distinct demands and dynamics.

In a report published in early 2025, the Rift Valley Institute pointed out, among other factors, the “access to resources” and the flow of refugees as key elements that “feed and perpetuate the various conflicts in the region”.

In August 2025, the NGO had reported minimum food rations and malnutrition cases in the seven refugee camps in the region, attributing the situation to recent cuts in humanitarian aid.

Ethiopia, a giant in East Africa with about 130 million inhabitants, faces conflicts in its two most populous regions: Oromia and Amhara.