Humanitarian organizations decry Kenya's decision to close refugee camps

Kenya's decision to close down refugee camps sheltering mainly Somali and South Sudan refugees, is likely to put innocent lives at risk, a medical humanitarian agency said on Saturday.

The Medecins Sans Frontières (MSF) called on the government to reconsider its drastic decision and continue providing humanitarian assistance to more than 600,000 refugees in the East African nation.

"This is not the first time the government has made such statements regarding the forcible return of refugees," Liesbeth Aelbrecht, MSF head of mission in Kenya said in a statement issued in Nairobi.

"MSF is urging the government to reconsider this call, and alongside the international organizations already present in the camp to continue to provide humanitarian assistance and ensure acceptable living conditions for the hundreds of thousands of people who desperately need it," Aelbrecht said.

Kenya's Interior Ministry Principal Secretary, Dr. Eng Karanja Kibicho announced on Friday that the government would no longer host refugees and was disbanding its Department of Refugee Affairs, which processes refugee registration.

Kibicho said the government would close the Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps "within the shortest possible time" because of national security concerns.

He said Kenya had hosted more than 600,000 refugees for over a quarter of a century and had shouldered a 'very heavy economic, security and environmental burden' and asked for the support of the international community to expedite the process.

However, human rights organizations have said despite the government's frequent statements that Somali refugees in Kenya are responsible for insecurity, officials have not provided credible evidence linking Somali refugees to any terrorist attacks in Kenya.

Aelbrecht said the closure of Dadaab, the world's largest refugee camp complex, would risk some 330,000 Somali lives and have extreme humanitarian consequences, forcing people to return to a war-torn country with minimal access to vital medical and humanitarian assistance.

International human rights organizations, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have also urged the government to reconsider the plan to shut down the refugee camps.

Muthoni Wanyeki, Amnesty International's Regional Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes said Kenya should consider permanent solutions towards the full integration of refugees, some of whose stay in Kenya is now over generations.

"Forced return to situations of persecution or conflict is not an option," she said.

Human Rights Watch refugee rights program director Bill Frelick called on Kenya not to turn its back on people needing protection and on fundamental principles that it has pledged to respect.

"The threat Al-Shabaab poses in Somalia and Kenya is real, but that doesn't negate Kenya's obligation to abide by international refugee law," Frelick said. Enditem