Somali government has condemned Kenya’s move to press UN to repatriate Somali refugees in two main refugee camps in northern Kenya,
Speaking to BBC Somali Service, Information Minister Osman Dubbe said Kenya has no right to forcefully close Somali refugee camps.
“The (Somali) Refugees are protected by the Geneva Convention and therefore Kenya has no right to forcefully repatriate refugees,” Dubbe said. “So, if we have succeeded to resolve our internal (rebel) issues, they (Kenya) should not turn to the refugees for revenge.”
The development comes barely two days after Kenya ordered the closure of two sprawling camps that host hundreds of thousands of refugees from neighbouring Somalia and gave the UN refugee agency – UNHCR – two weeks to present a plan to do so.
The Dadaab and the Kakuma refugee camps in northern Kenya host more than 410,000 people, a small proportion of whom are from South Sudan.
Dadaab Refugee camp, located in the semi-arid town of Garissa County, is one of the largest and complex camps in the world. The first camp in Dadaab, Kenya, was established in 1991.
Kakuma Refugee Camp is located in Turkana County and is among the largest refugee camps in the world.
The camp was established in 1992 and is jointly managed by the Kenyan Department of Refugee Affairs and UNHCR.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) promptly responded to the Interior Ministry, warning of a catastrophe if the refugees are ejected from the Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps.
“The UNHCR has been informed by the Kenyan authorities of their intention to close Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps within a short timeframe. The decision would have an impact on the protection of refugees in Kenya, including in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We will continue our dialogue with the Kenyan authorities on this issue.”
