20110203
Xinhua
NAIROBI, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's humanitarian agency has registered more than 11,000 refugees from neighboring Somalia as fighting between the Horn of Africa nation's militant group and government forces rages, the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) told Xinhua Thursday.

KRCS Secretary General Abbas Gullet said the humanitarian agency still expects more refugees who are fleeing heavy fighting in Bula Hawa town in Somalia to Mandera.

"As of yesterday (Wednesday) we have registered more than 11, 000 refugees from Somalia. We can't predict what will happen next because fighting is still going on in Somalia," Gullet told Xinhua by telephone on Thursday from Mandera.

He said some of the people fleeing conflict in the Horn of Africa nation are scattered in various parts of Mandera district.

The KRCS is registering refugees in Mandera town, ahead of distribution of humanitarian aid to people affected by conflict between al Shabaab militants and forces allied to the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia.

The humanitarian agency said distribution of humanitarian aid is ongoing, as hundreds of refugees continue to move to move to areas identified as camps.

Registration is being done ahead of planned distribution of aid to Somalis fleeing fierce fighting between al Shabaab insurgents and Transitional Federal Government (TFG) forces backed by the African Union troops.

Somalia generates the highest number of refugees in the world, after Afghanistan and Iraq.

There are an estimated 1.5 million internally displaced persons inside Somalia and more than 680,000 Somalis live as refugees.