Kenya government on Tuesday said it has concluded plans to speed up the repatriation of Somalis from Dadaab, Kenya, refugee camp.
This is coming on the heels of the killing of 148 people, who were mostly students of Garissa University in northeastern Kenya by terrorist group, Al-Shabab.
Interior Ministry spokesman, Mwenda Njoka, said the move became imperative because the camp had been identified by Kenyan authorities as a recruiting ground for Al-Shabaab.
“We have problems with the refugees, that is a factor. We will reduce the number so we can manage them more effectively,’’ Njoka said.
He said Dadaab camp has become the world’s largest refugee camp, with more than half a million people.
Somali refugees will not be sent into areas controlled by Al-Shabaab. “They will be relocated to areas in control of Somalia’s government. We don’t want people who are innocent to suffer because of Al-Shabaab,” he said.
The spokesman said the closure of the camp was, however, not an option. The decision comes a day after representatives from the northeastern districts of Garissa, the host community of the attacked campus, Wajir and Mandera, demanded the closure of the camp.
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