Kenyan government ultimatum to close refugee camps by June 2022 will take centre stage at the United Nations deliberations in Geneva, Switzerland.
This comes as Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) new report released yesterday warns that pushing refugees to return to Somalia is not sustainable in current circumstances, with continuing violence, political instability and increasing displacement.
The report notes that closure of refugee camps would likely set stage for a new displacement crisis as it will completely force humanitarian agencies to withdraw from the region due to lack of funding and would result in total collapse of the camp economy, wiping out refugees’ only source of income and disrupting host communities’ livelihoods.
“The planned closure of the camps in June 2022 should be an opportunity to accelerate process of finding lasting solutions for refugees,” says Dana Krause, MSF’s country director in Kenya.
“At present, the mostly Somali refugees in Dadaab – many of whom have been trapped in the camps for three decades – face dwindling humanitarian assistance and limited options for leading safe and dignified lives,” says the report.
