UNHCR statement on the future of Kenya's Dadaab refugee camps
This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Karin de Gruijl – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
The Government of Kenya has announced that the Dadaab refugee camps should be closed within three months and the 350,000 Somali refugees living there returned to their country. The Government's decision was announced this past weekend following the horrific attack at Garissa University earlier this month.
UNHCR too has been shocked and appalled by the Garissa attack. High Commissioner António Guterres and his staff stand in solidarity with the people of Kenya. We reiterate our condolences to the families of all the victims.
Kenya has been generously hosting and protecting refugees from violence and persecution in neighbouring Somalia for more than two decades. UNHCR works closely with the Government of Kenya and we understand well the current regional security situation and the seriousness of the threats Kenya is facing. We also recognize the obligation of the Government to ensure the security of its citizens and other people living in Kenya, including refugees.
UNHCR is nevertheless concerned that abruptly closing the Dadaab camps and forcing refugees back to Somalia would have extreme humanitarian and practical consequences, and would be a breach of Kenya's international obligations.
We are thus urging the Kenyan authorities to give the matter further consideration. UNHCR stands ready to work even more closely with the Government of Kenya to strengthen law enforcement at Dadaab and support other measures to protect refugees and Kenyans alike against possible intrusion by armed actors from across the border.
In December 2014, a pilot scheme was launched to support people who seek to voluntarily repatriate to one of three relatively safe areas of Somalia, namely Luuq, Baidoa and Kismayo. We are ready to work with the Governments of Kenya and Somalia to step up this program where there are opportunities for voluntary repatriation. Nonetheless, for now UNHCR considers that large-scale returns are still not possible in many parts of the country, in particular to South Central Somalia.
UNHCR reiterates it continued commitment to supporting the Government of Kenya in its protection of Somali refugees going forward.
For further information on this topic:
- In Nairobi: Raouf Mazou,mobile +254 716 359 655
- In Nairobi: Emmanuel Nyabera,mobile +254 733 995 975
- In Geneva: Karin de Gruijl, mobile +41 79 255 9213
- In Geneva: Babar Baloch, mobile +41 79 557 9106
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Your search for « Dadaab » matched 1263 results. Only the first 1,000 results are displayed. Displaying page 12 of 112 pages.
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Conflict and drought force more than 50,000 Somalis to flee to Kenya this year
25 Sep 2009 ... in the Dadaab complex of camps, which currently host three times the population they were designed to hold. In mid-August, UNHCR embarked on a programme aimed at decongesting Dadaab and started ...... -
UNHCR appeals for $92 million to assist Somali refugees in Kenya
19 Dec 2008 ... The emergency assistance to Somali refugees in Dadaab, Kenya, focuses on relieving dramatic ... The 17-year-old Dadaab camp complex is located in remote eastern Kenya near the Somali border. With ...... -
Kenya flooding
14 Nov 2006 ... recent days as rising waters destroyed hundreds of homes in the mainly Somali camps near Dadaab. ... A UNHCR assessment team was yesterday unable to reach Dagahaley, 20 km from Dadaab, as roads leading ...... -
UNHCR responds strongly to jaundice, hepatitis outbreaks in Dadaab
28 Sep 2012 ... outbreak of acute jaundice in the world's largest refugee settlement, Dadaab in north-east Kenya. The programme in the Dadaab complex - home to more than 470,000 Somali refugees - is focusing on ...... -
Airlift for Kenya flood victims
17 Nov 2006 ... made homeless by massive flooding in Kenya's Dadaab region after heavy rains swept across the ... cargo aircraft will make three flights into Dadaab's airfield on Sunday from Nairobi to deliver ...... -
Registration of Somali refugees in Kenya resumes
3 Nov 2006 ... the asylum-seekers from Liboi to the camps in Dadaab, some 80 km away, will only be authorised once ... Only those without previous registration records will be transferred to the Dadaab camps. Some of ...... -
Health concerns in Ethiopia camps, start of school year for refugee children in Dadaab
2 Sep 2011 ... In Kenya, this coming Monday marks the start of the new school term and at Dadaab, the largest ... to already pressing needs at Dadaab for more classrooms, desks, stationery, textbooks and teachers. ...... -
Emergency assistance programme for Somalis in Kenya's Dadaab camp
19 Dec 2008 ... The emergency assistance to Somali refugees in Dadaab, Kenya, focuses on relieving dramatic ... The 17-year-old Dadaab camp complex is located in remote eastern Kenya near the Somali border. With ...... -
Kenya
... As of 31 December 2021, Kenya hosts over 540,000 refugees and asylum-seekers mainly living in the Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps as well as urban areas, including the capital, Nairobi. Women and ......