Protest, anxiety in Dadaab as refugees troop back to Somalia

The East African | By FRED OLUOCH | November 25, 2016 – On entering Hagadera, one of the five refugee camps in Kenya’s Dadaab complex, the message that greets you reads, “Return is my choice.”

This message, written boldly in English and Somali, is supposed to encourage more than 270,000 refugees to take advantage of the ongoing voluntary repatriation launched in 2013 and return to Somalia.

The atmosphere is tense as the countdown to Kenyan government’s the deadline, which has been extended from November 30 by six month, continues.

Interior Minister Joseph Nkaissery, while announcing the extension of the deadline from November 30 to the end of May next year, said the extension is due into the ongoing elections in Somalia.

READ: Kenya delays closure of Somali refugee camp

Some refugees who had voluntarily returned to Somalia but slipped back to Dadaab due to insecurity and lack of facilities in their home regions, told The EastAfrican that they had volunteered because they believed that the Kenya government would arbitrarily return them to Somalia without taking into account where they hail from.

The voluntary repatriation programme has been slowed by the Somalia government’s lack of resources to provide basic facilities such as shelter, livelihood, health and security. UNHCR recently appealed for $485 million to settle the refugees inside Somalia.

Young men gather in groups unsure of their future as the security situation in Somalia still remains fragile.

“I was born here and I don’t know anything about Somalia where they are telling us to relocate,” said Mohammed Absame, a 17-year-old born of a refugee mother and a Kenyan father.

A number of human-rights organisations working in the region and beyond are opposed to the closure of Dadaab camp, while the Kenya government says it is a recruitment ground for the Al Shabaab elements that attack Kenya.

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights has already gone to court to challenge the government’s plan to close the camp. Other bodies such as Human Rights Watch, Doctors Without Borders and the Norwegian Refugee Council, have all expressed concern that the Kenya government is coercing Somali refugees to leave even though to Somalia authorities have no capacity to provide basic facilities to settle them back home.

Security situation

Hassan Nur, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees chief security adviser says the security situation in Dadaab remains  stable since Al Shabaab have not carried out any attacks in recent months, although it remains unpredictable because of the porous borders.

The Somalia border is only eight kilometres away but the Kenyan security forces have no capacity to patrol its entire length.

The refugees say their biggest fear is harassment by the Kenyan security forces meant to force them out, but the Kenya government insists that the return is voluntary and nobody will be repatriated against their will. Early this month, five young men from Kambioos Camp were arrested for riding in a vehicle with Somalia number plate but locals say that is a common feature in Dadaab. Some refugees have also been arrested for cutting down trees for fuel.

Mohamed Affey, the new UNHCR Special Envoy on the Somalia Refugee Situation, says Kenyan authorities have given assurance that nobody will coerced into returning.

Only 24,504 refugees have been repatriated to Somalia from Dadaab since the operation started in December 2014. This followed a tripartite agreement signed between Kenya, Somalia and UNHCR in 2013.

Some of them have quietly slipped back after finding unfavourable conditions in Somalia. An estimated 276,269 Somalia refugees remain in the Dadaab’s five camps of Hagadera, Kambioos, Ifo, Ifo2 and Dagahaley. So far, 66,650 refugees have approached the Return Help Desk with intention to voluntarily return, but only 28,099 have confirmed that they are willing to travel soon.

Grants per refugee

The repatriation programme operated by the Refugee Affairs Secretariat with the help of the Danish Refugee Council provides $200 grants per refugee for those travelling by road and $150 for those travelling by air. Other partners are the Norwegian Refugee Council that provides household equipment, the Kenya Red Cross Society, the Islamic Relief Kenya and International Rescue Committee.

“The refugees are caught between a rock and a hard place. Kenyan government officials are telling them they must leave by the end of the month or they will be forced to leave without any assistance,” said Michelle Kagari, Amnesty International’s deputy director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes.

“These actions contravene the Kenyan government’s assurances to the international community that it would ensure all refugee repatriations are voluntary and carried out in safety and dignity.”

So far, 99 road convoys have been organised mainly to Kismayu and south central Somalia, as well as 160 flights — 146 to Mogadishu, four to Kismayu and 10 to Baidoa. The partners have designated 12 places in Somalia that are deemed fit for returnees.

However, road convoys in Jubbaland were suspended on August 30 after the local administration notified UNHCR that they could not receive any more returnees until issues regarding their reintegration are addressed.

According to the repatriation officer, Aden Rashid, the Return Help Desk receives between 20 and 30 inquiries per day.

“Once a refugees expresses an interests in returning, they are given counselling about the security situations and facilities available in their destination. They are then given seven days to decide whether they want to return or not,” said Mr Rashid.