Kenya says will not reconsider decision to close refugee camp

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said Friday plans to close Dadaab, the world's largest refugee camp in northeast part of the country is not reversible.

Speaking in Nairobi when he met with visiting UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson, Kenyatta maintained that the decision to repatriate more than 350,000 Somali refugees back to their country has already began.

"The train has already left the station. It's now up to those who are interested at seeing the success of the journey to come on board," Kenyatta said in a statement issued after the meeting.

He called on the global community to partner with Kenya to ensure its success, saying Kenya's action should not be misinterpreted as a move to abandon its international obligations.

However, the UN says it's not convinced by Kenya's plan to shut the Dadaab refugee camp and will not back down from its efforts to persuade the country to keep the complex open.

The UN refugee agency has urged Kenya to reconsider its decision, saying that closing the camp would have "devastating consequences." It urged the government to "avoid taking any action that might be at odds with its international obligations."

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has also pointed out the potentially devastating consequences of prematurely ending refugee status for hundreds of thousands of people.

Ban said he recognizes the extraordinary humanitarian role Kenya has played over the years as one of the world's foremost refugee hosting countries.

Kenya's government has admitted that closing the refugee camps will harm refugees. It urged the international community to take steps to minimize the pain and suffering.

But Kenyatta said Kenya has hosted refugees from neighbouring nations for decades and emphasized that Kenya viewed the repatriation of the refugees as one way of stabilizing Somalia.

Kenyatta assured the international community that Kenya will handle the repatriation process in accordance to the international standards and in the most humane way.

He called on all UN member states to support the repatriation of Somali refugees back to their country.

"We have made a non-permanent situation to look as permanent," Kenyatta told Eliasson, adding that if the challenge of Somali refugees is not dealt with now, it could pose a major conflict in the future.

"We want Somalia helped to take back its citizens and be able to continue with their lives back home," Kenyatta said.

He said as a result of the large population of refugees, natural resources such as water and pasture were becoming scarce in the areas they inhabited, accelerating the threat of conflicts in the region.

He added that the refugee issue is a shared responsibility and hence the international community had a duty to support Kenya in ensuring that Somali refugee are repatriated in the best way possible.

Speaking during the meeting, Eliasson praised Kenyatta and the government for its effort in stabilizing the region and especially Somalia and South Sudan.

He said he will communicate the President's and Kenya's position on repatriation to UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi once he gets back to New York.

Eliasson expressed gratitude to the president and the people of Kenya for their hospitality which has helped citizens of neighbouring countries in times of great need. Endit