United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) said 254,811 Somali refugees from World’s largest camp in Kenya have been voluntarily repatriated since 2013.
Following the tripartite agreement signed by Somalia, Kenya and the UNHCR in 2013, thousands of Somali refugees in Dadaab camp voluntarily registered themselves for repatriation.
Speaking during Refugee Day in Dadaab on Wednesday, UNHCR head of operations for Dadaab office Jean Bosco Rushatsi said another 4,949 non-Somali refugees have been relocated to Kalobeyei in Kakuma camp.
“We are happy we’ve been able to take at least 250,000 refugees back home,” Rushatsi said.
Rushatsi said their office in Somalia takes charge of the refugees as soon as they cross over the Kenyan border.
“The safety of the refugees returning home is our top priority. We have to ensure the returnees are in safe hands at all times,” Rushatsi stated.
Refugees destined for Mogadishu and Kismayu were airlifted after bus transport was suspended due to poor roads occasioned by heavy floods along the Dadaab-Liboi-Dhobley road.
Not ready for repatriation
The quite number of Somali refugees in the camps said they were reluctant to return to Somalia citing lack of social amenities like proper healthcare and education. They also cited insecurity.
“I supplement what UNHCR is giving us through my small business,” Halima Mahat said. She sells groceries and has been at the camp since 2004.
Mohammed Abdi who works with the Refugee Education Trust (RET) trained the women. He said they were able to enjoy a balanced diet and sell surplus food.
More than 50 percent of Dadaab’s current population of 208,616 are involved in small businesses to supplement UNHCR food supplies which have drastically reduced over the last five years.
They now receive food rations once a month and not twice as before. The rationing follows the scaling down of Dadaab humanitarian operations to about 25 percent of relief given in 2011.
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