Kenya: Kenya will host a major international conference in August to discuss on modalities of repatriating more than one million Somali refugees to their country.
The conference, which will be held in the second week of August, will be co-hosted by the Governments of Kenya, Somalia, and UNHCR. The International Organization for Immigration (IOM) is invited.
Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed Monday revealed that a group of international organizations are already mapping out safe places for the refugees to resettle. She said the exercise will be conducted in the most humane manner.
Ambassador Amina said that currently, there are over one million Somali refugees. Out of these, 600,000 are formally registered.
She said that the organizations have already compiled documents and reports on the places of origin for the refugees. Half of them, she added, crossed the border to Kenya in the last two years.
“What I am happy about is that 50 percent of these are willing to voluntarily return. However, we want to do it in an orderly and most humane manner which upholds the dignity of our visitors,” the minister said.
She was speaking at a Nairobi hotel where the ministry hosted a breakfast for envoys from Asian countries. These envoys are accredited to Nairobi.
Ambassador Amina took the opportunity to lobby the Asian countries to support Kenya’s efforts. They are working on repatriating refugees, some of whom have called Kenya home in the last two decades.
“We are seeking your support in ensuring we have an appropriate level of assistance. This will enable them to resettle peacefully in their homeland,” she told the ambassadors.
Somalia has been without a stable government for over twenty years now following the ousting of dictator Said Barre. Kenya has borne the brunt of its neighbor’s instability as refugees fled into the country.
Kakuma in Turkana and Daadab in Garissa are some of the biggest refugee camps in the region. They host hundreds of thousands of Somali and Sudan nationals. Another significant number of Somali refugees live in Nairobi.
Source:standardmedia.co.ke
