The repatriation of Somali refugees from Dadaab is no longer voluntary, dignified and safe, and has failed to meet international standards, a report has said.
The report by the Oslo-based Norwegian Refugee Council said refugees feel trapped following the Kenyan government’s decision to close the camps by the end of November.
The eight-page document is titled 'Dadaab’s broken promise, A call to reinstate voluntary, safe and dignified returns for the Dadaab refugee community'.
It says
Kenya's sudden announcement to shut the camps led to “chaotic and disorganised" returns of vulnerable refugees.
The report adds that 74 per cent of refugees in Dadaab said in August that they are unwilling to return, largely because of fear of insecurity back home.
“The current repatriation programme does not meet international standards for voluntary refugee return,”
said NRC Secretary General, Jan Egeland.
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Egeland
said the “impossible deadline” for closing Dadaab and the subsequent disbandment of the Department of Refugee Affairs, have led to fear, panic, and chaos among refugees.
The department is charged with
overseeing the process under the Tripartite Agreement.
The report said woman and children have traveled without male relatives, while orphaned children living with extended families have been separated from relatives and returned alone.
Refugees are also reportedly being asked to pay bribes to access repatriation services, the report said.
“Uncertainty and fear spread among the refugee community, calling into question the voluntariness of returns," said
Egeland.
"The sustainability of returns was also put in jeopardy as many areas in Somalia are still insecure as evidenced by the recent announcement of a further delay in planned national elections."
Egeland noted that the refugees need international protection.
"The Kenyan government and the UN refugee agency should reinstate the organised and voluntary process of return under the Tripartite Agreement," he said.
He added that the "unrealistic" deadline must be removed before the situation deteriorates
further.
But UNHCR country director Raouf Mazou downplayed report, saying the complex Somali refugee situation requires a comprehensive approach to solutions.
He said the solutions include continued protection for those who remain in need of asylum, adequate support for those who choose to return voluntarily, and alternatives such as third-country resettlement.
The government announced in May that the vast Dadaab camp in north-east Kenya would be shut down, citing security concerns.
At least 30,000 refugees have returned home since 2013.
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Kenya has dismissed reports of abuse in the camps and
reaffirmed its plan to close the world's largest refugee camp by November.
The country rejected allegations by Human Rights Watch (HRW) that it is harassing and intimidating refugees to return home when it is not safe to do so.
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