UN: No deadlines for refugee camp closure

President Uhuru Kenyatta with UNHCR boss António Guterres when they met at State House, Nairobi, on May 6, 2015. Mr Guterres said there was no fixed timeline for repatriating Somali refugees from the Dadaab camp. PHOTO | PSCU | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • President Kenyatta told the UNHCR boss that Kenya will continue to honour its obligation of caring for refugees.
  • The German government has given Sh500 million (€5 million) for the repatriation programme.
  • The camp, which currently hosts 352,558 refugees and asylum seekers, has been suspected to be a breeding ground for terrorists affiliated to Somalia-based militant group Al-Shabaab.

Repatriation of Somali refugees from the populous Dadaab camp in Garissa County will not follow a fixed timeframe despite pressure from Kenya.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) boss António Guterres Wednesday met with President Uhuru Kenyatta to discuss the fate of the Camp.

But the issue of timelines was not considered because of the amount of money required for the programme.

“There was not, in this discussion, a fixed date but a strong sense of urgency,” Mr Guterres, a former Portuguese Prime Minister, told reporters at the Intercontinental Hotel last evening.

“We have no timelines, but we came to a common understanding on what needs to be done, which is to simultaneously strengthen security in Dadaab and at the same time we will enhance our programme of voluntary repatriation of refugees to Somalia in areas that are considered safe,” he added.

A planned humanitarian pledging conference is due to be held before August but some donors have already started making their contributions.

The German government has given Sh500 million (€5 million) for the repatriation programme.

On Monday, US Secretary of State John Kerry said the camp should remain open until “fundamental problems in Somalia are solved.

The US pledged Sh2.88 billion ($45 million) to cater for all refugees in Kenya.

Early 2015, the humanitarian aid arm of the European Commission (ECHO) gave €10 million in aid of the refugees in Kenya, most of which will be spent on Dadaab.

IMPROVING SECURITY AT DADAAB

ECHO says it has spent Sh225 million since 2012 in helping to improve security at Dadaab refugee camp, a project managed by UNHCR.

The European Commission says the money was used to build houses for the police, community policing and specialised training for humanitarian workers.

Other donors include Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands.

The camp, which currently hosts 352,558 refugees and asylum seekers, has been suspected to be a breeding ground for terrorists affiliated to Somalia-based militant group Al-Shabaab.

Most of the refugees at the camp are Somalis and, last month, Deputy President William Ruto had given UNHCR 90 days to relocate the camp to Somalia but the UN agency together with several human rights groups opposed it.

During Wednesday’s meeting, President Kenyatta told the UNHCR boss that Kenya will continue to honour its obligation of caring for refugees.

He however insisted that security will come first, according to a statement from State House.

“We want the world to understand that the security of our people and their property cannot be relegated to the bottom of our priority list,” he told Mr Guterres.

Mr Guterres, who called on enhanced security at the camp, admitted that the camp may harbour terrorists, but said clearing it without first stabilising Somalia could influence refugees to join terror networks.

“In a city of thousands of people anywhere in the world, there might be terrorists; we see it in Europe. That is the reality of today’s world.

“We don’t think that Dadaab is the key insecurity problem that Kenya has. We recognise that there is a security problem and we are in talks with the government to enhance security mechanisms in Dadaab,” he said.