Refugees & forced migration
Kenya: Urban refugees to be sent to camps
2010-07-30, Issue 492
http://pambazuka.org/en/category/refugees/66328
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The population of urban refugees is at risk in Nairobi following the issuance of a public notice by the Government of Kenya requesting them to proceed to the already overcrowded camps of Dadaab. These camps are characterized by harsh living conditions, minimal economic activity, and insecurity, and are situated in remote semi-arid to arid regions with little surface water where the environment is barely able to sustain the local population
The population of urban refugees is at risk in Nairobi following the issuance of a public notice by the Government of Kenya requesting them to proceed to the already overcrowded camps of Dadaab.
These camps are characterized by harsh living conditions, minimal economic activity, and insecurity, and are situated in remote semi-arid to arid regions with little surface water where the environment is barely able to sustain the local population. Therefore, host communities are adamant to prevent any activity by refugees that might negatively affect their fragile environment and economic interests, such as livestock rearing and agriculture. The government encampment policy confines refugees to designated areas thereby rendering possibilities for local integration virtually impossible. The limited access refugees have to local and national economic activities, combined with a very poor resource base in and around the camps, constitute serious constraints for refugees to attain any level of self-sufficiency, let alone local integration. Refugees are therefore almost completely reliant on relief assistance.
During the 1990s, bandit attacks, rape, physical assault, and robbery presented very serious problems in the camps of Dadaab. UNHCR and the Kenyan authorities have taken steps to improve the security situation in the region, including advocating for an increased police, military, and judicial presence in the camps. Although improvements have been made, sexual and gender based violence, physical assault, and other criminal activities continue in the camps.
The refugee population in Dadaab currently stands at roughly 260,000 persons, and UNHCR continues to register new arrivals primarily from neighbouring Somalia and Ethiopia on a daily basis; more than 62,000 refugees and asylum seekers were registered in 2009 alone. As a general principle, the entire refugee population in Dadaab is in need of international protection. Those who have been in the camps since the early 1990s have suffered disproportionately; many among this population are survivors of severe violence, and many have been physically maimed, raped, or forced to watch the execution of family members by forces that systematically targeted civilians on account of their ethnicity.