Kenyan authorities have insisted that the repatriation of Somali refugees living in Dadaab camp is being conducted within the confines of international humanitarian law.
Fazul Mohamed, executive director of Kenya’s NGOs Coordination Board, said in a statement that the repatriation was being conducted “in a humane, voluntary and dignified manner” to guarantee the rights of the refugees.
Kenya decided to shut down the refugee camp before the end of the year, citing security concerns as the reasons behind the shut-down.
The country’s security agencies said terrorists have used the camp to plan and launch attacks in the country.
Daadab is the world’s largest refugee camp, and is said to host around 300,000 Somalis.
“Since the formation of an inter-agency taskforce in May, some 31,021 refugees have been repatriated to Somalia with another 106,000 refugees registering for voluntary relocation,” Mohamed said.
Dadaab was set up over 20 years ago to house Somalis fleeing civil conflict.
