Analysis of new data shows that a range of factors will prevent any prospect of mass returns from Kenya’s Dadaab refugee camp, including: [1] an unwillingness of refugees to return, [2] Kenya’s withdrawal of forces to the border, and [3]… Read More ›

dadaab
Around the Horn: Dadaab’s Decline, Kenyan Political Violence, and More
This month, UNHCR is reporting that more than 70,200 Somali refugees have been repatriated from Dadaab, and over 17,400 are registered as “willing to return” to Somalia. An interesting note in the report was that returns to Baidoa had been “suspended… Read More ›
Methodology or Misinformation: What’s Driving Dadaab Refugee Camp Numbers Down?
The population at Kenya’s Dadaab refugee camp has plummeted by 60,000 people in the last two months, according to data provided by UNHCR, begging the question — what are the factors driving such a drastic reduction in the population could… Read More ›
Analysis: Dadaab Refugees Stopped on Return to Somalia, Raising Repatriation Questions
On Monday, Jubaland regional authorities in Somalia stopped a convoy of refugees from transiting to their destination due to a lack of humanitarian assistance to support their return, raising further questions of how refugees can leave Kenya’s Dadaab camp safely and sustainably. VOA has the latest:… Read More ›
UNHCR Plans for 125,000 Refugee Returns to Somalia by End of 2017
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has released the Kenya Comprehensive Refugee Programme 2016, which comes off the heels of the Kenyan government’s intention to close the largest refugee camp in the world at Dadaab. The objective of the document is to… Read More ›
A Look at the Numbers: When Can Kenya Close Dadaab Refugee Camp?
The Kenyan government continues to step up claims that it intends to close Dadaab refugee camp and repatriate or resettle around 348,000 refugees due to the “heavy economic, security and environmental burden and Kenya’s national security interest.” Refugees continue to… Read More ›
Kenyan Minister and Media Stir Confusion on Refugee Return
Kenya’s Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Ole Lenku recently made misleading and factually incorrect statements about the repatriation of Somali refugees. The Kenyan media’s subsequent misreporting of Lenku’s statements caused further confusion—resulting in UNHCR having to correct growing rumors that refugee camps… Read More ›