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Most east African refugees are hosted close to borders – it’s a deliberate war strategy

Most east African refugees are hosted close to borders – it’s a deliberate war strategy

THERE are close to 4 million people living in refugee camps across Africa. Of the more than 300 camps, nearly 70% are situated within 30km-50km of an international border. They include some of the largest camps in the continent, such as Kakuma in northern Kenya, Nyarugusu in western Tanzania and Bidibidi in north-western Uganda. Author KARA ROSS CAMARENA, Assistant Professor, Loyola University Chicago The closer the camp is to an international border, the easier it is for people on both sides of the border to interact. What this means is that healthy refugees in Kakuma, for example, can walk across…
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Kenya to shut two camps with 410 000 refugees

Kenya to shut two camps with 410 000 refugees

KENYA has told the United Nations it will shut by June 2022 two camps holding over 430,000 refugees who fled from wars in the east and Horn of Africa, adding it planned to repatriate some and give others residency. The interior ministry made the announcement on Twitter about five weeks after ordering the closure of the Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps and giving the United Nations two weeks to present a plan to carry this out. Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta and U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) chief Filippo Grandi met on Thursday in Nairobi and a joint team will be formed…
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Kenyan judge rules against closure of two refugee camps

Kenyan judge rules against closure of two refugee camps

A Kenyan judge ruled yesterday against the closure of two refugee camps hosting hundreds of thousands of people mainly from neighbouring Somalia, according to a copy of the court order seen by Reuters. Two weeks ago the country's interior minister, Fred Matiang'i, announced the government's intention to shut the camps and gave the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) two weeks to present a plan to do so, adding that there was no room for further talks on the issue. The ruling blocks the closure for 30 days. It originated from a petition filed by a local politician challenging a move to…
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Kenya orders closure of two refugee camps, gives ultimatum to UN agency

Kenya orders closure of two refugee camps, gives ultimatum to UN agency

KENYA has ordered the closure of two sprawling camps that host hundreds of thousands of refugees from neighbouring Somalia and gave the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) two weeks to present a plan to do so, the interior ministry said. The Dadaab and the Kakuma refugee camps in northern Kenya together host more than 410,000 people, a small proportion of whom are from South Sudan. Authorities in Nairobi first announced their intention to shut the Dadaab camp, which is closer to the border with Somalia than Kakuma, back in 2016, citing national security concerns. Fred Matiang'i, the interior minister, has now…
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