“Since 1991 when the first batch of refugees was hosted from Somalia, there has been a systematic destruction of vegetation and decimation of wildlife through poaching”/DPPS
NAIROBI, Kenya, May 25 – Deputy President William Ruto says that the repatriation of refugees should not be viewed as punishment but as a means to allow people to return and reconstruct their countries.
Ruto told a gathering at the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, Turkey that the move also helps reduce pressure on fragile ecological systems.
“In Kenya, the vagaries of climate change are aggravated by the environmental degradation cause by huge populations of refugees in the fragile ecological system of the North Eastern region,” he stated.
“Since 1991 when the first batch of refugees was hosted from Somalia, there has been a systematic destruction of vegetation and decimation of wildlife through poaching.”
The move by the government to close the Dadaab camp has been criticised by humanitarian groups who urged Kenya to reconsider its decision.
“The consequences of environmental degradation has greatly impacted on the subterranean geological system which is manifested by a drop in the water table from 50 metres to 400 metres which is equivalent to sinking boreholes half a kilometre deep,” the DP stated.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon asked Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta to reconsider his decision to close two refugee camps, including the world’s largest, and send Somali refugees home.
In a telephone conversation, Ban urged President Kenyatta to continue to abide by a November 2013 agreement with the Somali government and the UN High Commissioner on Refugees “as a basis for the voluntary return of Somali refugees in safety and dignity.”
Kenya hosts around 600,000 refugees some of who have lived in the country for a quarter century.
President Kenyatta had stated that the decision to close the Dadaab refugee camp was driven by national security interests.
READ: President Kenyatta tells UN why Dadaab must be shut
The Head of State made the sentiments during a meeting with members of the United Nations Security Council at State House, Nairobi where they discussed Kenya’s decision to close the camp at length.
During the talks, the UN Security Council members were led by their current President who is also the Egyptian Envoy to the UN, Abdellatif Aboulatta.
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