Somali refugees rejected at the border – Kenya is obliged to give shelter to the hungry!

On Wednesday, the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) urged the Kenyan government to offer protection to all the refugees from Somalia who are fleeing from the war and the famine. Lately, several thousand Somalis were rejected by Kenyan border guards as they tried to reach the Dadaab refugee camp. "Those who denied refuge to the war- and hunger-refugees violated the Geneva Convention and international humanitarian laws," said the STP's expert on questions regarding Africa, Ulrich Delius.

The human rights organization also appealed to the international community not to support any military offensives of the Somali army any more – as they are intensifying the situation of the hungry. Instead, a possibility for the civilians from Somalia suffering from hunger and deprivation to escape to the neighboring country should remain. Kenyan authorities are blocking the opening of a fourth refugee camp in Dadaab near the Somali border. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is planning to provide shelter to the 90.000 new refugees that are expected to arrive within the next three months. Despite the increased border-surveillance and the rejection of many Somali refugees, about 1500 Somalis manage to escape to Kenya every day.

The humanitarian situation of the rejected war- and hunger refugees is becoming more desperate, as they can hardly be reached by international aid workers. They suffer from shortages of food and drinking water and are often weakened by several days of flight. Under the impression of the disastrous conditions at the border, many rejected refugees try to find essential necessities further inland in a town named Dobley, which is not prepared for a rush of refugees.

397.000 Somali refugees are currently living in the three hopelessly overcrowded camps of Dadaab. 116.000 of them only arrived this year. The flow of refugees increased significantly since the beginning of June 2011: About 76.000 people have been admitted to the camps since then.

Kenya seems to be overchallenged with taking care of the refugees and is afraid about their safety. Radical Islamic militias are trying to recruit new fighters in the camps. In addition, the large number of refugees causes conflicts between them and the local population. When a delegation of foreign ambassadors visited the camps of Dabaab beginning of the week, the provincial authorities reaffirmed that they will not allow a fourth refugee-camp to be opened. "Today, Kenya carries the main burden of the civil war in Somalia," says Delius. "The country is in urgent need of international assistance to tackle this mammoth task."