Why refugee nightmare won't go away easily

In April, Deputy President William Ruto ordered the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to close the Dadaab Refugee Camp within three months. That means some 335,565 Somali refugees will be required to leave Kenya by the end of this month or the Kenya Government will forcibly remove them. This news was jubilantly received by Kenyans.

However, it is important to critically and rationally review the rationale and implications of moving the refugees. A refugee is a person who flees their home; crosses an internationally recognised border to seek protection from persecution (loosely defined as discriminatory treatment) or events seriously disturbing public order.