Kenya may resettle Somali refugees in liberated areas

March 14, 2012

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Kenyan Foreign Minister Moses Wetangula told a parliamentary committee on Monday (March 12th) that the government may have to send home more than 600,000 Somali refugees because Kenya is not receiving enough assistance from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Kenya's Nairobi Star reported.

"Kenya has an international obligation to support refugees," the minister said. "We cannot stop them from coming, but if they come, they are supposed to be taken care by the UNHCR," Wetangula said. "We have not seen enough support in that regard."

The Kenyan government is considering moving the refugees from Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps to areas in Somalia liberated from al-Shabaab and under the control of the Kenya Defence Forces, Wetangula told the parliamentary panel.

The minister urged the international community to assist the refugees by helping them return to their country and offering assistance. "It is easier for them to live back at home than the squalid lives they are leading at Dadaab," Wetangula said.

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  • Njoro
    March 14, 2012 @ 07:44:15PM

    Somalia is one of the poor countries of the world. Even at the time of the civil war, they were poor and after so many years now too they are one of the poorest in the whole world. They are suffering from extreme poverty and unemployment rate. A study conducted by World Bank suggested that the unemployment rate in urban areas is at 66% and while in rural areas is 41%. On the whole the unemployment rate of Somalia stands at 47%, which makes Somalia one of the highest on the table of highest unemployment rate among other African countries.To resolve this issue, the restoration of peace, security and other effective things is going on to enhance the economic situation of the Somalia. With the help of many other countries vocational training centers are being opened by in Somalia through which people can learn the various works like car repairs, plumbing, carpentry etc., so that they can do work with the work they learnt. Many steps are taking place in Somalia to reconstruct the institution of Somalia Government.

  • Kennedy
    March 14, 2012 @ 07:14:02PM

    These are the few steps that are taking place in Somalia so that the condition there should be better and people there will have employment opportunities.

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