NAIROBI, Kenya
The impending closure of Daadab and Kakuma refugee camps in Kenya and the repatriation of the refugees and asylum seekers to Somalia is unwise and would be counterproductive, catholic bishops have said.
Refugees await food rations at Dadaab camp. |
The bishops, under the
banner of Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops, said on Sunday that closure of
the camps in the midst of a vicious Coronavirus pandemic would expose
vulnerable women and children to suffering.
The decision, they said,
is also against the international law that requires refugee hosting nations to
only repatriate the refugees and asylum seekers back to their countries only
when the conditions have improved and they are out of danger.
Poor governance in
Somalia has not changed, war and violence has not abated, famine and hunger has
not subsided. Forcibly returning then violates the principle of non-refoulment,
they said.
Should the state insist
to proceed with the plans, they said, it should develop programmes to cushion
their health and give them relief packages to enable them settle back.
Some over 400,000
refugees and asylum seekers live in the two camps. The refugees mainly
come from Somalia though there are others from neighbouring countries include
Tanzania, Uganda, DRC, Burundi Ethiopia, Rwanda, and South Sudan among other
countries.
The Kenyan government
announced its intention in November 2016 to close the camps. On March 24, it
gave a 14-day ultimatum to close the camps, a directive that expired on April
7.
The main argument of
the government is that the camps have been infiltrated by elements from
Al-Qaeda-offshoot al Shabaab and its sympathisers who have launched terrorist
attacks from there.
But the bishops demand
that instead of closing down the camps, the state should enhance security in
the facilities, including reviewing the terror-screening regimens and shelve
the plans.
"We recommend that
the government shelves this unfortunate idea and instead, increase security and
any other support to the refugees as well as the bodies that work directly in
ensuring that they receive their basic needs," it said.
The conference argues
that the decision to close down the camps and return the refugees back home has
been arbitrarily made and no plans to cushion their suffering have been rolled
out.
"The refugees have
become even more vulnerable due to Covid-19 pandemic which demands certain
health measures to be observed in order to stay safe which they cannot because
of the harsh conditions they live in." They said.
"It is highly
unfortunate and regrettable that the intention by the Kenyan authorities to
close Daadab and Kakuma camps with a short time frame that these people need
help. This is the time to give protection and embrace to the most vulnerable in
the society."
The bishops join the
anti-closure chorus from human rights groups including Amnesty international
that has advised that the government uses its platform at the UN Security
Council to obtain more funding from the international community to sustain the
camps.
"Rather than
persecuting refugees, the government of Kenya can use its influence at the UN
security Council to demand that the international community shoulders its fair
share of the responsibility to protect refugees,” Amnesty international Kenya
executive director Houghton Irungu said.
Irungu had said
arbitrary closure of the camps was an open invite to a humanitarian disaster
given that the pandemic is still ravaging the country.
UN's refugee agency
UNHCR said it was "concerned about the impact this decision would have on
the protection of refugees in Kenya, including in the context of the ongoing
Covid-19 pandemic,” adding that it was engaged in constructive dialogue with
the Kenyan authorities on the issue.
"We urge the
Government of Kenya to ensure that any decisions allow for suitable and
sustainable solutions to be found and that those who continue to need protection
are able to receive it." It said.
No comments:
Post a Comment