Sunday March 12, 2017
Repatriation of refugees and eventual closure of the Dadaab camp should be guided by the 2013 tripartite agreement between Kenya, Somalia and the UNHCR, the local MP says.
Dadaab MP Mohamed Dahiye on Friday criticised comments by President Uhuru Kenyatta that the refugee complex will have to be closed for the good of the region. He said a court order bars the government from closing it.
There has been a relentless campaign by rights groups to have the closure plan abandoned.
Dahiye told the Star on the phone that there should be clear separation of powers between the executive, legislature and the judiciary.
He said the push and shove between different arms of the government only confuses refugees and undermines the entire process.
“The process of repatriation is going on well. The refugees can’t be bundled out of the camps like luggage. Let due process be followed and refugees who want to voluntarily go back do so at their will,” Dahiye said. He added that international laws, to which Kenya is a signatory, protect the refugees from forced eviction.
“As leaders, we’re in total support of the closure because the refugees have overstayed. But we’re opposed to forced repatriation. This, among other things, will be counterproductive, especially to our national security.”
At a joint press conference with UN secretary general Antonio Guterres on Wednesday, Uhuru said the camp no longer serves its original purpose of offering temporary shelter.
“Our policy has been clear. The events that led to the establishment of Dadaab are terribly tragic and the best response to that tragedy is to help refugees return and rebuild their nation,” he said at State House, Nairobi.
“That is Kenya’s policy and our efforts to hasten repatriation and resettlement of refugees. But as always, these efforts shall remain guided by relevant domestic and international laws.”
This came after the High Court in Nairobi ruled on February 9 that the planned repatriation would be unconstitutional.