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UNHCR expresses concern over Kenya's decision to stop hosting refugees

Xinhua, May 9, 2016 Adjust font size:

The UN refugee agency UNHCR on Monday expressed its "profound concern" over Kenya's decision to stop hosting refugees.

"UNHCR is calling on the government of Kenya to reconsider its decision and to avoid taking any action that might be at odds with its international obligations towards people needing sanctuary from danger and persecution," it said in a statement issued Monday.

The UN body added that for almost a quarter of a century Kenya played a vital role in East Africa and the Horn of Africa in providing asylum to people forced to flee persecution and war. The safety of hundreds of thousands of Somalis, South Sudanese and others has hinged on Kenya's generosity and its willingness to be a leading beacon in the region for international protection.

Citing economic, security and environmental burdens, the government of Kenya announced last Friday that it intended to end the hosting of refugees.

A statement issued by the country's Ministry of Interior said that the government had disbanded its Department of Refugee Affairs and was working on a mechanism for the closure of Kenya's refugee camps, a move that could affect as many as 600,000 lives, according to UNHCR.

Kenya on Saturday urged the international community to help the country to shoulder the burden of hosting refugees.

Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Amina Mohamed told a media briefing that Kenya has a long history of welcoming refugees from all over Africa.

"However the principle of burden sharing in the hosting of refugees is a not a national responsibility but a global responsible in order to ensure that citizens of the world are treated humanely," Mohamed said. Endit