Kenya turns back Somalis refugees fleeing from infighting in Somalia

Hiiraan Online
Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Nairobi, Kenya (HOL)- Approximately 130 Somali refugees including women and children, who crossed the Libooya border in Northeastern Kenya were  turned back by Kenyan authority.
 
According to close sources these Somali refugees were refused entry and were encamped at an open area in the border. Three women among refugees gave birth while being held in this encampment. These refugees were deprived of food and water and they were in the end forced to board on Kenyan military trucks, which unloaded them at the Somali border.
 
It is unknown why Kenya would turn Somali refugees back to Somalia, despite the fact that Kenya is a signatory to the major international instruments relating to the protection of refugees. 
 
Neither thhe government of Kenya nor the United nations High Commissioner for refugees (UNHCR) issued any news related to the plight of the forced repatriation of Somali refugees.
 
Mr. Richard, the head of UNHCR in Dadab confirmed staff of HOL in Nairobi the news of the forced repatriation of Somali refugees but declined to comment any further information until they compelete their  investigation of this matter.
 
It was only in the beginning of this year that Human Rights watch report accused of Kenyan police of mistreating Somali refugees and violating of their basic human rights, though the Kenyan authority denied the findings of the report.
 
It was also this month that UNHCR warned Kenya of turning back refugees from Somalia. http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/Dont-send-back-refugees-Kenya-told-20101103
 
Kenya claimed officially to have closed its border with Somalia in 2007, during that time there was a large influx of refugees fleeing from the Somali civil war.