© UNHCR/B.Bannon

Somali refugees queue at a reception centre in Kenya. UNHCR is concerned about fresh violence in Somalia.

In the Dadaab refugee complex in eastern Kenya, there has been a sharp drop in the number of new arrivals from Somalia. This could be due to the border military operations or the onset of heavy rains in the area. 

Following the recent security incident in Dadaab, UNHCR and partner agencies have been continuing life-saving work for hundreds of thousands of refugees. UNHCR staff and more than 30 partners remain operational in Dadaab’s three camps - Ifo, Dagahaley and Hagadera - as well as the new sites of Ifo 2, and Kambioos. 

UN High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres expressed his deep shock and indignation at the violent abduction at the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya of two female MSF staff and the shooting of their driver.

"These MSF colleagues were working to rescue lives," he said. "It is wholly unacceptable that they should be made targets for kidnap. I appeal to those responsible to facilitate their immediate and safe return."

Together with the World Food Programme, UNHCR is distributing emergency food rations and relief supplies to recent arrivals. Water trucking to the new sites is ongoing while all three hospitals in Ifo, Dagahaley and Hagadera camps are providing health care to the refugees. Primary schools are being run by teachers recruited among the refugee population in the camps.

UNHCR is working with the Kenyan authorities to urgently deploy more policemen in the camps to enhance security measures for refugees and aid workers alike. Dadaab is the world’s biggest refugee complex, with its sprawling camps hosting more than 463,000 refugees. Over 190,000 of them arrived this year after fleeing insecurity and famine in Somalia.