Refugee camps a security threat and must be closed

By JIBRIL ADAN

Kenya has stood by the people of Somalia since their country fell into anarchy more than two decades ago. Of all the countries in the Eastern Africa region, Kenya has been at the forefront in supporting Somali citizens caught in the misfortune.

 Kenya has also spearheaded efforts to re-establish a functioning government in its neighbouring nation. Our country opened its arms wide for wave after wave of refugees fleeing the civil war, leading to the opening up of several refugee camps, including Dadaab — the biggest refugee camp in the world.

 According to official figures, there are currently 630,000 Somali refugees, but the actual figure might be higher because there are many who have entered the country and have not registered.

 In Nairobi alone, there are 55,000 officially recognised refugees who live and do business like ordinary Kenyan citizens. There is a substantial number of people from the neighbouring country in almost every major town in Kenya.

 The economic cost, environmental degradation and security threats posed by hosting the refugees at Dadaab have been enormous, and the security threat to Kenyans, more so those living in North Eastern Province, has been a nightmare.

 For the decades that Somalia has been without a functioning government, life for the populations of Garissa, Mandera and Wajir counties have been turned upside down. The residents of the three counties, who are largely of Somali ethnicity, have seen many lives and property lost to criminals from Somalia.

 These criminals sometimes stage cross-border attacks. Other times they operate from refugee camps and use them as cover. In the early 1990s, the Government stopped setting up a refugee camp on the outskirts of Mandera town, after criminals started robbery and killing sprees targeting the locals.

The story has been the same in Wajir and Garissa counties. Despite paying a heavy price for standing by the people of Somalia, the returns for Kenya have always been bitter. Every time Kenya has toyed with closing the refugee camps in its North Eastern region, the strongest opposition has come from international agencies.

 But the tragedy is that were we to listen to the opposing forces, refugees would stay in Kenya for eternity. The first refugees started trickling into Kenya 22- years-ago.

Today, the situation in Somalia is far better than all the other years. Except for the challenges posed by Al-Shabaab terrorists, the rest of the country is close to normalcy. What remains is for the central government and several self-declared states to bring back normalcy to their nation.

And as the people of Somali work out how best to bring back normalcy, it is time for Kenya to start questioning the continued hosting of Somalia refugees should continue being hosted. At one time, Kenya has to decide that it is over and the refugees have to go back home. That the time is now.

 Somalia is back on its feet thanks to intervention by our forces and other East African nations that have contributed to the African Mission in Somalia, (Amisom). There is no civil war in Somalia, but the problem facing the country is terrorism sponsored by Al-Qaeda. It is true the refugees could have come from different parts of Somalia, but when it comes to their repatriation, they can be moved to stable parts of their country.

 The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) have pacified large swathes of Somalia, including the second largest city, Kismayu. Those refugees who don’t feel safe enough to go back to their original homes can be settled in areas where KDF is present. President Uhuru Kenyatta has declared that KDF forces would remain in Somalia. That should serve to reassure the returnees that their security is guaranteed in the near-term. It is more than likely that Al-Qaeda and others are using elements from Somalia to perpetrate atrocities against Kenyan civilians. The infiltration is partly through the Somali refugee camps. According to leaked National Intelligence Service reports, there is credible evidence that some terrorists come to Kenya masquerading as refugees seeking asylum.

 The debate should now be about the manner in which the refugees should be repatriated and not whether they should r0emain. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Mr Antonio Guterres, in July announced that the number of people in Dadaab reduced dramatically after the government moved to support repatriation of the refugees back to Somalia.

 Mr Guterres called on Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Eritrea to support the refugees as they start a new life.

That is the spirit the Kenya Government wants adopted in dealing with Somalia. We should make Somalia safe for its people instead of hosting them outside for eternity.

 For the sake of rebuilding Somalia and stability in Kenya, Somali refugees must return to their homeland. 

The writer is News Editor of The Counties.

jadan@standardmedia.co.ke