German govt donates aid to Dadaab refugee camp

Thursday, November 14, 2013

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The German government has announced that it will donate a further 950,000 Euros (Sh109,250,000) in humanitarian aid for the Dadaab refugee camp, just two days after Kenya, Somalia and the UN signed an agreement to voluntarily return refugees back to Somalia.

A statement from the Germany Embassy in Nairobi said the money is meant for drilling boreholes and improve sanitation in two of the four segments of the world’s most populous refugee centre.

“The main objectives of the additional projects will be to improve access to clean water and sanitation. These measures will benefit almost 200,000 people,” the statement said, adding that the projects would be in Ifo and Dagahaley camps.

On Sunday, Kenya, Somalia and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reached a tripartite agreement “for the voluntary repatriation of Somali refugees living in Kenya.” The agreement which arose from Kenya’s continued agitation to have refugees return indicated that it had included “internationally accepted standards” for refugees to leave.

The agreement signed by Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Minister Amina Mohammed, Somalia’s Deputy Premier Fawzia Adam and UNHCR’s Raouf Mazou has four parts which the parties said they had agreed on.

These parts include conditions that the repatriation be done in phases based on favourable conditions, that a Tripartite Commission be established to provide guidance on the project and ensure all international standards are adhered to and that the Commission would regularly evaluate the implementation of the Agreement.

However, the two-page document has not given definite dates on the formation of the Commission even though the Somali government was given the duty to ensure the conditions are favourable for those who go back.

FIVE TIMES THE CAPACITY

Dadaab refugee camp was created two decades ago as Somalis fled civil war after the fall of despot Siad Barre. However, the population has continued to rise, caused both by continual war and famine. Originally meant to host 90,000 people, it now hosts up to five times this number.

On Sunday, Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto said 80,000 Somali refugees have already left voluntarily but it means hundreds of thousands still remain in the camp.

On Tuesday, the German government announced the project would be targeting schools where water shortage has been most felt.

“Boreholes will be drilled to increase the amount of water available for supply. Furthermore, additional latrines will be built to improve living conditions and hygiene in both refugee camps,” the statement added saying that CARE Germany would take the lead role.

Kenya suspects that the Dadaab camp has been used as a hide-out for terrorists, in addition to being a burden to the Kenyan taxpayer.

The Danish Refugee Council says it is “happy” with the new Agreement on refugees. In a statement, the Council said the agreement is of benefit to all parties but cautions strongly that Somalia is not ready for mass return.

“We are very pleased with the agreement, which gives any refugee the right to choose what is best for him or her. The agreement is a first and important step towards finding durable solutions for Somali refugees in the region. It is important that governments talk about durable solutions in a situation that has been protracted for decades,” says Rikke Johannesen, Deputy Regional Director, DRC Horn of Africa & Yemen.

The Danish agency is one of the charity organisations working at Dadaab.

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