UN refugee agency appeals for additional 115.4 mln USD for voluntary return of Somali refugees

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) on Tuesday appealed to donors for an additional 115.4 million U.S. dollars to fund the voluntary return and reintegration of Somali refugees from Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya.

Following the Kenyan government's announcement of its decision to close Dadaab Camp, UNHCR presented a plan of action at a recent meeting of the Tripartite Commission, where Kenya, Somalia and UNHCR all sit, Farhan Haq, the deputy UN spokesman, said at a daily news briefing here.

The plan outlined a process intended to reduce the population of Dadaab by 150,000 by the end of 2016 -- the camp currently hosts 343,043 people, he said.

"It is anticipated that the majority of the remaining refugee population would return to Somalia during the course of 2017," Haq said.

The UN agency anticipates that the majority of the remaining refugee population -- approximately 170,000 people -- would return to Somalia during 2017 and possibly in early 2018. To date, more than 17,000 Somalis have returned to Somalia from Dadaab since December 2014. Endit