DADAAB REFUGEE COMPLEX, May 12, 2016
Kenya government through Interior ministry announced the timeline for the closure of Dadaab refugee camp and the expatriation of refugees to their countries of origin.
Currently one of the biggest refugee camps in the region, the Dadaab hosts about 350,000 Somalis.
Kenya has maintained its stance to expatriate refugees in Dadaab citing security concerns. United Nations has urged Kenya to reconsider its decision.
Speaking during a press briefing, Kenya’s interior CS, Joseph Nkaissery stressed that Kenya will not cede on the decision to transport refugees back to Somali.
The CS noted that the East African nation has suffered spate of Islamist attacks claimed by the Al Qaeda affiliated Islamist group, the Al-Shabaab.
Westgate Mall, Garissa University and Lamu attacks are some of the large scale attacks mentioned by CS Nkaissery planned in Dadaab and deployed by the transnational terrorists groups.
Already the timetable to closing the complex of Dadaab refugee camp commenced with voluntary repatriation ongoing.
Apart from the security challenge, Kenya is constrained financially with hosting over 600,000 refugees many from Somalia and others from South Sudan and even Eritrea.
The expatriation of Dadaab refugees is expected continue and by November 2016 the exercise that will take about 1 billion Kenya Shilling with be completed and camp closed.
Shouldering the burden of refugees should the responsibility of International Community as a whole and not individual countries alone.
