Hundreds of refugees from Dagahaley, Hagadera, Ifo 1 and Ifo 2 camps met to express their concerns, saying the freeze has negatively affected their lives.
The South Sudan refugee, who doubles up as the chairman of the minority group, said food and the health sectors are the most affected.
Refugees from the 4 camps in Dadaab holding placards during the peaceful demonstrations at Ifo 2 camp.
Refugees in Dadaab camps have appealed to the
international community to restore life saving humanitarian support extended to them for years.
This follows the recent funding cuts initiated by US President Donald Trump in January.
On Monday, hundreds of refugees from the four
camps namely: Dagahaley, Hagadera, Ifo 1 and Ifo 2 met to express their concerns, saying the recent developments have negatively affected their lives.
The South Sudan refugee, who doubles
up as the chairman of the minority group, said food and the health sectors
are the most affected.
“As
leaders we are here to tell the whole world what
we have been facing in the past few months. Our lives have
been turned upside down. The amount of food that we are being given is
too
little to sustain us. Some people are physically fighting for the little
available food and in some instances, that has led to death," he said.
Hadija Ali, 28, lost consciousness after being pushed
during the stampede.
Mohamed Abdille a refugee at the Ifo 2 camp said their lives have changed for the worst since the cuts.
“I have been a refugee for 33 years now. This is the
only place I call home because I came here when I was still very young. But the
recent developments have left us stressed. Our future
looks very bleak,” he said.“Initially, despite the challenges, life was bearable. But the past few months have seen things change for the
worst. Accessing basic needs such as food, water and healthcare has become a
mirage. We are forced to reduce food rations. Many are also suffering
for lack of proper healthcare services because the hospitals lack drugs."Abdille said the situation has led to disease outbreaks and
malnutrition, noting that if something is not done urgently, the situation
will get worse.“As we speak all the humanitarian services are down. They
are paralysed. Our children are not going to school because the quality of
education has been compromised due to lack of teachers,” he
said.“We are sending passionate appeal to the
international community that has stood with us for the past 30 years. We plead that the funds be restored because we still need water, food and access to healthcare," Abdille said.Ambia
Mohamed, a refugee at Ifo 1 camp said healthcare and food are the most
affected areas calling on the government to urgently intervene .The UN High Commissioner for Refugees warned that nearly 13 million refugees could lose access to essential health
services, increasing
the risk of disease outbreaks and malnutrition.The World Food Programme has been forced to
reduce food rations to just 40 per cent of the minimum required daily intake for
refugees in Dadaab, a significant drop from previous levels.According to data from UNHCR, Dadaab complex hosts 500,000 refugees and asylum seekers across the
four camps namely; Dagahaley, Hagadera, Ifo and Ifo 2. This makes the camp one of the largest refugee settlements globally.The severe shortages have led to protests and social
unrest. In Kakuma, demonstrations
escalated to violence, with police forced to use teargas to disperse angry
refugees.
Several refugees were injured in the process. The refugee population in Dadaab has reduced over the
years due to various factors, including repatriation efforts and humanitarian
crises.
