Oxfam Appeals to Nation to Take Care of Somali Refugees

James Kariuki

13 July 2011

Nairobi — An international relief agency on Wednesday urged the government to allow fleeing Somali refugees enter the country and occupy an abandoned camp.

OXFAM’s head in Kenya, Mr Joost van de Lest, said tens of thousands of Somali refugees fleeing the worsening food crisis and ongoing conflict in the Horn of Africa were being barred from a new aid camp in North Eastern Province that stands empty and unused while refugee families live in shocking conditions, kilometres away.

Mr Van de Lest said a steady stream of Somali refugees is turning into a mass exodus, with severe drought and ongoing conflict forcing1,400 people a day to seek refuge at the Dadaab complex.

Another 70,000 Somali refugees have also arrived at Dolo Ado camps in Ethiopia.

The Kenyan government granted permission for expansion of the refugee camp and OXFAM installed water systems, latrines and health facilities but Ifo II Complex remains empty as the government has refused to allow people to move in.

“Women and children have made the most incredible journeys, walking for weeks through the desert and braving hunger and attacks by armed robbers and wild animals.

“They arrive extremely weak and malnourished, and the least that we can do is ensure there is water, food and care for them when they get here,” added de Lest.

OXFAM expressed fear of an outbreak of diseases at the temporary unequipped camps where 60,000 new arrivals are being sheltered in basic tents outside the camp boundaries, with limited access to clean water or toilets.

“It is tragic that vulnerable families are trapped in limbo, forced to endure appalling conditions while there are fully functioning services right next door. Their basic needs are being ignored,” he lamented.

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