The government wants the camp closed following recent terrorist attacks in the country, some of which it believes are planned and masterminded within the camps.
Lucy Kiama, executive director of the Refugee Consortium of Kenya, said it was illegal to force refugees to go back to their homes, without considering their safety and well being.
“Repatriation should be voluntary not forceful. Kenya needs to have talks with the International Community and the country of origin for refugees to make the environment safe for the refugees to return,” Kiama said in Nairobi.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)’s senior regional information officer Teresa Ongaro, said the most responsible way of doing it is ensuring the refugees’ return to their country is sustainable.
“That is why we have a tripartite agreement with the country of asylum, the country of origin of the refugees and UNHCR which has a responsibility to make sure people return to their countries in safety and dignity and that the return is sustainable,” said Ongaro.
The East African region is home to almost 3 million refugees and 300,000 have arrived in the last few months alone.
Kenya hosts 600,000 refugees mainly from neighbouring countries for almost two decades.
The world will mark the International Refugee Day on June 20th, a day meant to pay attention to the plight of refugees globally.
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