By: Samantha Netzband
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa
NAIROBI, Kenya – Two weeks ago Kenya announced that they plan to close the world’s largest refugee camp, Dadaab, citing fears of terrorism as one of the reasons for the camp’s closure. Dadaab has been open since 1991 and mainly hosts refugees from Kenya’s neighbor Somalia. The Kenyan government has formed a task force aimed at disbanding the refugee camps and has said that they are committing $10 million towards the effort.
Somali refugee girls attend a Koran class at the Dabaab Camp. (Photo Courtesy of Reuters and Washington Post)
Other countries were quick to criticize Kenya’s decision, because the countries where many of the refugees are from are still unstable. Kenya’s refugee camps mainly contain Somalia refugees, but there are also refugees from South Sudan and Burundi. Some of these countries are not completely safe for the refugees to return to – and some of the refugees in the camps have never lived outside of Kenya. Returning to their native countries will require assimilation into unfamiliar living situations that are still riddled with conflict.
Kenyan government officials countered that the nations that criticize them are not doing their part given the current refugee crisis in Europe. Kenya’s president, Uhuru Kenyatta, is up for reelection and has tried to use the call for the removal of refugees to his political advantage.
With 350,000 people estimated living in the camps the closure of the camps will require a very organized and coordinated closure plan from the Kenyan government. UN and other countries have suggested that the camps close slowly to ensure that a new humanitarian crisis doesn’t happen.
For further information please see:
All Africa – Kenya: Ban Ki-Moon Urges Uhuru to Go Slow on Refugee Repatriation – 19 May 2016
The Star – Don’t Return Refugees Home Without Guarantees Of Safety – 14 May 2016
All Africa – Kenya: UN Criticises Kenya for Plan on Refugees – 9 May 2016
