Reuters AlertNet Full site
Homepage | Newsdesk | NGO Latest | Crisis briefings | Country profiles | MediaWatch | Jobs | Alerting | Login

NEWSDESK

Somali refugees pour into Kenya by the thousands
04 Jun 2009 05:22:00 GMT
 Source: Reuters
A Somali refugee girl stands in front of a restaurant sign board at Hagadera camp in Dadaab in Kenya's northeastern province, June 4, 2009.
Previous | Next
A Somali refugee girl stands in front of a restaurant sign board at Hagadera camp in Dadaab in Kenya's northeastern province, June 4, 2009.
REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly

Background

•  Somalia in turmoil

•  Food and hunger

•  African hunger

•  E. African hunger

MORE >>
By Frank Nyakairu

DADAAB, Kenya, June 4 (Reuters) - Somalis fleeing war and hunger at home are pouring into neighbouring Kenya at an average rate of 7,000 per month, swelling what is already the world's largest refugee settlement, U.N. staff said on Thursday.

Eighteen years of civil conflict in Somalia show no sign of abatement, with foreign militants joining Islamist rebels seeking to topple a new government that is the 15th attempt to restore central rule since 1991.

About 80,000 people have died in the last two years alone, while a million Somalis are refugees in their own land, three million need urgent food aid and hundreds of thousands have crossed borders into Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya.

"We have been receiving an average of 7,000 refugees (per month) since January and from what they tell us, the major reason why they leave their country is increasing insecurity," said Anne Campbell, head of the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR's sub-office in Dadaab, north Kenya.

Located 100 km (60 miles) from the border, Dadaab's three main camps -- Dagahaley, Ifo and Hagadera -- are a large settlement of mainly flimsy huts and tents on sandy scrubland.

Set up in 1991, the camp was designed for 90,000 refugees but now houses 275,000, mainly Somalis.

Aid agencies expect this number to keep increasing, and are seeking more space from the Kenyan government.

"We are preparing for a higher influx in mid-June because the rain has made it impossible for those fleeing the current fighting to reach the border easily," added Campbell.

With high food prices and falling donations due to the global financial squeeze, the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) warned that supplies for Dadaab could soon be squeezed.

LONG ROAD TO SAFETY

At Dagahaley's registration centre, new arrivals crammed UNHCR's offices while others stood for long hours in the scorching sun outside the gate.

"I arrived here eight days ago, I have not been given food or water. I am still waiting to be registered, I don't know when that will be," said Asha Aden Ali, a 22-year-old mother of two.

She fled from Mogadishu two weeks ago after insurgents from the al Shabaab militia shelled her home in the outskirts.

"When they attacked, we all ran in different directions. My husband has been missing since," she said.

"I had to board a truck and come to Kenya."

Kenya officially closed its borders in 2006 to stop Islamists fleeing after an intervention by Ethiopia's army.

But like Asha, many Somalis are still making their way across the long, porous and arid border areas.

"I had to wait for a week and a Good Samaritan came and showed me a shortcut to Kenya," she said.

The United Nations has been in negotiations with Kenyan authorities over re-opening crossing points. But Nairobi maintains that would leave the country open to an influx of refugees and small weapons, which would worsen insecurity.

(Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Michael Roddy)


AlertNet news is provided by
Email this article       Send comments

Topics

•  Refugees & displacement

•  Food and hunger

•  Politics of Aid

MORE >>

Emergencies

•  African hunger

•  E. African hunger

•  Kenya violence

•  Somalia troubles

MORE >>

NGO latest

•  Hussain Alifulhu: A brighter future in Dhuvaafaru, Maldives
IFRC - Switzerland

•  Zimbabwe: ICRC distributes food to thousands of detainees
ICRC - Switzerland

•  Save the Children Sweden commends South Africa President's state of the nation address
Save the Children - Sweden

•  Sri Lanka War Wounded in Factory, Makeshift Clinics
World Concern - USA

•  Irish Red Cross Continues its support across Africa as it launches its new Africa Strategy
Red Cross - Ireland

MORE >>

Latest news

•  Poor nations need $142 bln/yr in climate fight-EU

•  WHO recommends rotavirus vaccine for all children

•  Philippine army kills 13 rebels in heavy fighting

•  Kenya: Relieve Somali Refugee Crisis

•  Food aid cheaper, faster when bought locally - GAO

MORE >>

AlertNet news is provided by

Background information

Briefings
African hunger - [Who works where]
E. African hunger - [Who works where]
Kenya violence - [Who works where]
Somalia troubles - [Who works where]

Topics
Refugees & displacement Food and hunger Politics of Aid
Facts & figures
Djibouti Kenya Somalia Ethiopia

Related articles

Breaking stories
 Poor nations need $142 bln/yr in climate fight-EU (1 minute ago)

WHO recommends rotavirus vaccine for all children (1 minute ago)

AlertNet insight
 Aid agencies prepare for growing emergency as Pakistan conflict widens (1 minute ago)

Aid agency news feed
 Hussain Alifulhu: A brighter future in Dhuvaafaru, Maldives (1 minute ago)

Blogs
 Displaced families try to shame Colombia into action (1 minute ago)

Maps
 Newly erected IDP shelters located within New Safety Zone (NSZ) - Mulattivu District, Sri Lanka (1 minute ago)


Del.icio.us Del.icio.us  |   Digg Digg  |   NewsVine NewsVine  |   Reddit Reddit   
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-06-04T182901Z_01_AFR11_RTRIDSP_2_SOMALIA-CONFLICT_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/AFR11.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-06-04T172525Z_01_DHA008_RTRIDSP_2_BANGLADESH-CYCLONE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/DHA008.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-06-04T172411Z_01_DHA009_RTRIDSP_2_BANGLADESH-CYCLONE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/DHA009.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-06-04T165658Z_01_DHA010_RTRIDSP_2_BANGLADESH-CYCLONE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/DHA010.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-06-04T155544Z_01_DHA007_RTRIDSP_2_BANGLADESH-CYCLONE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/DHA007.htm

Somali President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed (R) sits with his Finance minister Sharif Hasan Sheik Adan, (L) during a news conference at the presidential palace in the capital Mogadishu, June 4, 2009, ...


More pictures | Galleries
Disclaimers |  Copyright |  Privacy |  Contact Us |  Feedback |  About Us |  RSS XML

Last updated:Fri Jun 5 10:27:50 2009