Closing refugee camps is escapist, says ODM

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The Star | 09, 2016 | By SAM KIPLAGAT – ODM yesterday warned the government against closing refugee camps and sending back more than 400,000 refugees. In a statement, the party termed the threats juvenile and escapist. It said the move cannot be “morally, politically or economically right”.

The party said closing the camps “does not make any sense, as it does not help solve the underlying causes”. The statement signed by ODM director of elections Junet Mohammed said closing the camps is likely to put thousands of innocent lives at risk.

On Friday, Interior PS Karanja Kibicho said the camps in northern Kenya are being shut because of threats posed by al Shabaab and other terror groups. Junet said the rise of violent extremism and radicalisation is largely because of dwindling opportunities arising from poverty, unemployment, conflicts and other social ills.

“There is no evidence whatsoever that the extremists emerge from refugee camps. There are no refugee camps in France, Belgium or the US, where terror attacks have happened,” he said. The MP said Jubilee must not alienate Kenya from the international community, which is struggling to accommodate refugees.

The world has reacted angrily to the plans, with Human Rights Watch saying targeting Somali refugees and ethnic Somalis is discriminatory. The rights group said Kenya has not provided credible evidence linking Somali refugees to any terrorist attacks in the country.

Amnesty International said the threats are “reckless”. “The Kenyan government’s decision to close two large refugee camps, including the world’s biggest at Dadaab, is likely to put thousands of innocent lives at risk,” it said in a statement.

ODM said closing the Dadaab Camp would break international laws. The party said Somalia is not yet safe enough for the refugees who fled war and famine.