in may 1983 the catholic relief services made grant distributions from the agency for international development at kobo in response to the later famine, by the next year, with the famine clearly underway, several thousand afar people had come to the catholic mission in kobo in search of help; they had fled the lowlands after losing all their livestock. between 15 october and 2 november 1989 kobo was subjected to four air attacks by the government forces. casualties are not known, but the clinic was strafed by helicopter gunships.