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Kenya camp closure must be humane, says UN refugee chief

– ‘Arrests, detention and harassment’ –

Grandi said the planned returns would not be conducted unilaterally by Kenya, but in discussion with the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and the Somali government, and would require financial support from foreign donors to improve conditions in war-torn Somalia and provide a return package of food and money to those who go home.

The vast majority of residents of the sprawling Dadaab complex of camps close to the Kenya-Somalia border fled Somalia’s more than two-decades long conflict. Many remain fearful of returning to a country where insecurity remains rife and life tough.

Grandi said that while Kenya’s government sees Dadaab and its Somalis as “a situation that has to end as soon as possible” it will remain a host for asylum-seekers from other conflict-hit countries, such as South Sudan.

“The current discussion only concerns Dadaab,” Grandi said.

Charities and the UN have voiced dismay at the closure plan, while rights groups have warned that forcibly repatriating refugees would break international law.

On Monday rights group Amnesty International said it “continues to receive reports of arrests, detention and harassment of refugees by the police” since the closure plans were announced last month.

The human rights group called for “concrete action to be taken to ensure continued protection for thousands of refugees at risk of forcible return.”

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