KENYA-SOMALIA: Somali refugees in Mandera to be relocated

U N I T E D N A T I O N S
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN)

KENYA-SOMALIA: Somali refugees in Mandera to be relocated

NAIROBI, 13 May (IRIN) - The Kenyan authorities have asked the office of the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to relocate about
10,000 Somali refugees who have been living in the northeastern Kenyan
border town of Mandera, the Nairobi-based Sunday Standard reported on 12
May. The Mandera district commissioner, Jamleck Baruga, was quoted by the
paper as saying he had met UNHCR officials, who told him they would comply.

The UNHCR regional spokesman, Jonathan Clayton, told IRIN that the agency
and the Kenyan government were "exploring the possibility of relocating the
refugees away from the border point". Most of the refugees were said to be
just 500 metres from the border. Clayton said the government was fully
cooperating with UNHCR on this matter. "It is providing asylum to the
refugees, and has indicated willingness to continue doing so," he said.

The refugees fled inter-clan fighting in the border town of Bulo Hawa in the
north of Gedo Region, southwestern Somalia, last month after fighting broke
out there among rival factions of the Marehan clan. Humanitarian sources in
Mandera said the situation in Bulo Hawa was not yet conducive to a return of
the refugees. "The town is still insecure, with a lot of militia roaming
around," one of them said.

According to UNHCR, 80 percent of the refugees are women and children,
currently settled in temporary shelters in Mandera or staying with relatives
or friends there.

The humanitarian source said a temporary camp would be set up "in and around
Mandera for a two-month period", and the refugees currently sheltering near
the border would be moved to it, thereby resolving one of the Kenyan
government's concerns. According to this source, the current troubles in
Bulo Hawa "will most likely subside soon and they will go home", and
therefore there was no point in relocating this particular group to Dadaab
or Kakuma refugee camps.

[ENDS]

IRIN-CEA
Tel: +254 2 622147
Fax: +254 2 622129
Email: [email protected]

[This Item is Delivered to the "Africa-English" Service of the UN's IRIN
humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views
of the United Nations. For further information, free subscriptions, or
to change your keywords, contact e-mail: [email protected] or Web:
http://www.irinnews.org . If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post
this item, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Reposting by commercial
sites requires written IRIN permission.]

Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2002