Twin blasts in Dadaab raise concerns of worsening security
Monday's explosion in Hagadera camp killed one police officer and wounded two others. Tuesday's blast in nearby Ifo camp suggested it was not an isolated incident.
GENEVA, December 21 (UNHCR) - An improvised explosive device went off on Tuesday near the market at the Ifo refugee camp in Dadaab, Kenya. There were no casualties but a police vehicle was damaged. The explosion came just a day after a blast in nearby Hagadera camp killed one police officer and seriously injured two others.
In a statement issued today, UNHCR expressed alarm at the string of recent security incidents targeting the Dadaab refugee complex in northern Kenya. Dadaab is the world's largest refugee settlement and shelters more than 460,000 people.
In total there have been four explosions at Dadaab since October, when three aid workers were kidnapped. The blasts have killed three Kenyan police officers and wounded four others. There have also been threats against humanitarian agencies working in Dadaab. UNHCR condemned these attacks and called for respect for peace and the civilian nature of the refugee camps.
"We are deeply concerned for the well-being and safety of Somali refugees in Dadaab, most of whom are women, children and elderly," said António Guterres, the UN's High Commissioner for refugees. "For the sake of refugees and those who are there to help them, it is of paramount importance to preserve the peaceful and civilian character of the camps."
A deadly mix of conflict, persecution, drought and famine has seen 295,000 people fleeing Somalia this year. More than half have found shelter at the Dadaab refugee camps in Kenya. Others fled to Ethiopia, Yemen and Djibouti.
In Dadaab, development of new sites, registration, deliveries of emergency assistance and services continued uninterrupted throughout the year. However, since October, growing insecurity has crippled the ability of aid agencies to deliver the all but life-saving assistance - mainly food, water and health services. UNHCR and its partners are exploring options to allow full operations to resume.
The situation in Dadaab has been further complicated in recent months by an outbreak of cholera, believed to have started among new arrivals who acquired it in Somalia or en route to Dadaab. Although new cases are now on a downward trend, UNHCR has registered 897 cases, and three deaths, since August. Worsening security, rains and flooding have also made it harder to truck in water to parts of the camps.
Somalia remains one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. More than 950,000 Somalis live as refugees in neighbouring countries, while another 1.46 million are internally displaced.
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New kitchenware show Dadaab's refugees that camp has not gone to pot
17 Sep 2003 ... DADAAB, Kenya (UNHCR) - Marian Mohammed Ali wearily walked back to her home of 10 years in Dadaab refugee camp clutching a see-through plastic bag. In it was a variety of basic kitchen utensils - ...... -
Kenya: Rapid influx of Somalis underlines urgency of OCHA flash appeal
17 Oct 2006 ... We fear this figure could climb to 80,000 by the end of the year. Dadaab already hosts 160,000 ... A 3-year-old girl was diagnosed last Friday with polio in one of the three sprawling camps in Dadaab...... -
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3 Apr 2011 ... DADAAB -The heads of three United Nations agencies today expressed deep concern about the living conditions of more than 314,000 Somali refugees during a visit to three camps in Dadaab in northeastern ...... -
Dadaab camps under severe strain as Somalis continue to flee to Kenya
27 Mar 2009 ... DADAAB, Kenya, March 27 (UNHCR) - The election of a new Somali president earlier this year has failed to stem the flow of Somalis seeking refuge in the overcrowded Dadaab refugee camps in north-east ...... -
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26 Sep 2008 ... Somalis arriving this year in the sprawling Dadaab refugee camp complex in north-eastern Kenya ... Meanwhile, UNHCR teams in Kenya's remote Dadaab refugee camp, some 80 kilometres from the border ...... -
UNHCR says US$35 million flash appeal for Somali refugees is a matter of urgency
17 Oct 2006 ... "We fear this figure could climb to 80,000 by the end of the year. Dadaab [in north-east Kenya] ... girl was diagnosed on October 13 with polio in one of the three sprawling camps in Dadaab. ...... -
UNHCR employs alternative strategies in managing the Dadaab camps
27 Jan 2012 ... and reduced humanitarian access at Kenya's Dadaab refugee camps, UNHCR has been exploring ways ... Refugees have always had a role in making camps work. However at Dadaab that role is being expanded. ...... -
UN High Commissioner for Refugees applauds Kenya's decision to open Ifo II camp
15 Jul 2011 ... Kenya is to open the Ifo Two extension at the Dadaab refugee complex near the border with Somalia. ... UNHCR believes the opening of the extension is important for easing congestion at Dadaab, where some ...... -
Orphaned Somali sisters embrace new life in the US
25 Aug 2005 ... DADAAB, Kenya, August 25 (UNHCR) - The air is thick with anticipation at the refugee transit centre ... The sisters and their mother eventually arrived in Dagahaley camp in Dadaab, eastern Kenya, and ......