Kenya delays closure of Somali refugee camp
Kenya extends by six months the closure of Dadaab camp, home to 350,000 mostly Somali refugees
NAIROBI — Kenya said on Wednesday it had to agreed delay for six months the closure of a teeming Somali refugee camp that it sees as a security risk, after international pressure to give residents more time to find new homes. Nairobi had vowed to shut Dadaab camp this month, saying it was being used by Islamist militants from neighbouring Somalia who have launched a string of attacks on Kenyan soil. But rights groups criticised the decision, saying it would hurt Somalis fleeing violence and poverty, and accused Nairobi of forcibly sending people back to a war zone. The government dismisses that allegation. "The government has accepted the request to extend the deadline for the completion of repatriation of Somali refugees, and this is essential to the closure of the Dadaab refugee complex, by six months," Interior Minister Joseph Ole Nkaissery said. "However, the ongoing voluntary repatriation will continue uninterrupted," he told a news conference. This week, a ministry official ha...
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