This is not the first time that the Kenyan government has engaged in reckless rhetoric about the Dadaab camp. It threatened to close the facility after an al-Shabab attack at Garissa University in April 2015, prompting protests from rights groups and governments around the world. The latest announcement appears similarly linked to current events: The European Union cut a $3.4 billion deal with Turkey to help stem the flow of refugees coming into Europe. Earlier this month, the government of Niger asked for $1.2 billion from Europe to keep migrants from crossing the sea to Europe. Possibly the government of Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta hopes to extract its own ransom for Dadaab’s upkeep. Meanwhile as election season in Kenya heats up, the scapegoating of refugees from Somalia provides a welcome distraction from other issues, such as the government’s corruption and its counterterrorism failures.
Closure would be unacceptable. Beyond the devastating human toll, shutting the camp and sending hundreds of thousands back to Somalia would be logistically close to impossible. Dadaab, which has existed for nearly 25 years, is so big that it would be Kenya’s third-largest town. A significant part of its population has known no other home. Forcibly repatriating hundreds of thousands of residents to Somalia could boost al-Shabab’s terrorism. Large numbers of helpless and vulnerable people would provide a fertile recruiting ground for militants.
There is no reason for donor countries or the United Nations to give in to Kenya’s blackmail. While following through on existing financial commitments of support, they should make clear that the camp’s closure is a red line that would provoke a shutdown of all aid to the Kenyatta government.
Read more: Closing the world’s largest refugee camp in Kenya could fan the flames of terrorism
Source: Washington post
