One day after al-Shabaab’s attack on the Camp Simba airstrip in Kenya, many more details are emerging about the casualties and retaliatory responses. Most importantly: Nine years after invading Somalia to confront al-Shabaab, Kenya has failed to secure its border…. Read More ›
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 ›
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 ›
The tallying of votes after national elections in Kenya has kicked off, and the Kenyan Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is posting updates live on its website. Local media outlets are providing breathless coverage, as well explanations of how the… Read More ›
Here is a brief overview of some of the inter-related stories in Kenya and Somalia the last week: AMISOM CHALLENGES IN SOMALIA Somalia’s Traffic Police Commissioner General Ali Hersi blamed AMISOM for being involved in approximately 500 traffic accidents and… Read More ›
In the aftermath of al-Shabaab’s latest mass raid attack against Kenyan troops, the government showed it had not effectively applied lessons learned from the January 2016 El Adde attack where over 140 soldiers were thought to have been killed. At around 5 AM last… Read More ›
East African leaders have begun to speak publicly about their expectations for bilateral relations with the U.S. following Republican candidate Donald Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton in the American presidential race. A statement from Ethiopia’s Prime Minister unsurprisingly did not veil its… Read More ›
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 ›
On Monday, Kenya’s legal team kicked off arguments at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to determine whether the court will have jurisdiction in the case involving the disputed maritime boundary with Somalia. The Somali government has requested the ICJ adjudicate the matter, while… Read More ›
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 ›
Since late April, Kenya’s opposition has staged weekly protests across the country against the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), whose leadership has been fighting off credibility concerns for years. At least three people allegedly have been shot dead by police in… Read More ›
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 ›
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 ›
