{"id":12826,"date":"2021-12-06T06:30:02","date_gmt":"2021-12-06T14:30:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/?p=12826"},"modified":"2021-12-08T06:31:11","modified_gmt":"2021-12-08T14:31:11","slug":"urgent-solutions-needed-for-refugees-as-camps-set-to-close-medecins-sans-frontieres","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/?p=12826","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Urgent solutions needed for refugees as camps set to close&#8221;, M\u00e9decins Sans Fronti\u00e8res"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Press Release, Paris, Nairobi, 6 December 2021<\/p>\n<div class=\"content wrap js-content\">\n<article class=\"article container js-article js-container [ pt-40 ] [ md:pt-60 ] [ lg:pt-80 ]\">\n<div id=\"text-block-300553\" class=\"toolkit text-block [ ml-1\/10 mr-1\/10 ] [ md:ml-6\/20 md:w-11\/20 ] [ lg:ml-5\/20 lg:w-9\/20 ] js-toolkit\" data-toolkit=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"text-block__content\">\n<p><span class=\"runner\">NAIROBI<\/span> \u2013 With the deadline to close refugee camps in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msf.org\/kenya\" data-entity-substitution=\"canonical\" data-entity-type=\"taxonomy_term\" data-entity-uuid=\"5c96b6ed-62f2-4268-91c7-9ef913efd921\">Kenya<\/a> just over six months away, urgency is mounting to find sustainable solutions for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msf.org\/refugees-idps-and-people-move\" data-entity-substitution=\"canonical\" data-entity-type=\"taxonomy_term\" data-entity-uuid=\"ef9a6bed-ec37-4201-bf9d-167488fba6cc\">refugees<\/a> in the camps at Dadaab, who risk being deprived of the little assistance they currently receive, warns M\u00e9decins Sans Fronti\u00e8res (MSF) today.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe planned closure of the camps in June 2022 should be an opportunity to accelerate the process of finding lasting solutions for refugees,\u201d says Dana Krause, MSF head of mission in Kenya. \u201cAt present, the mostly Somali refugees in Dadaab \u2013 many of whom have been trapped in the camps for three decades \u2013 face dwindling humanitarian assistance and limited options for leading safe and dignified lives.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In a new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msf.org\/search-dignity-refugees-kenya-face-reckoning\">report<\/a> released today, MSF calls on Kenya and its international partners to live up to the commitments made in the 2018 Global Compact on Refugees by allowing Somali refugees to integrate into Kenyan society or to be resettled abroad.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"pullquote-300554\" class=\"toolkit pullquote [ ml-1\/10 mr-1\/10 mt-30 ] [ md:w-11\/20 md:ml-6\/20 md:mt-40 ] [ lg:w-half lg:ml-4\/20 lg:mt-60 ] js-toolkit\" data-toolkit=\"pullquote\">\n<p><q class=\"quote [ block relative m-0 ] [ font-america-condensed text-20 leading-19 ] [ md:text-27 md:leading-25 ] [ lg:text-37 lg:leading-37 ] \">Kenya now has a simple choice: to let refugees slide further into precariousness, or to champion their rights by offering them the chance to study, work and move freely.<\/q><span class=\"eyebrow [ m-0 ] [ font-america-condensed text-10 leading-15 tracking-wide uppercase no-underline ] [ lg:text-12 lg:leading-22 ] [ block mt-15 text-red ] [ md:mt-22 ]\">DANA KRAUSE, MSF HEAD OF MISSION IN KENYA<\/span><\/p>\n<aside class=\"share js-share [ relative ]\"><a class=\"share__toggle js-share-toggle [ inline-flex items-center no-underline ]\" title=\"Share\"><span class=\"eyebrow [ m-0 ] [ font-america-condensed text-10 leading-15 tracking-wide uppercase no-underline ] [ lg:text-12 lg:leading-22 ] [ ml-13 text-black uppercase ]\">SHARE<\/span><\/a><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"text-block-300555\" class=\"toolkit text-block [ ml-1\/10 mr-1\/10 ] [ md:ml-6\/20 md:w-11\/20 ] [ lg:ml-5\/20 lg:w-9\/20 ] js-toolkit\" data-toolkit=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"text-block__content\">\n<p>The report reveals that the number of refugees returning voluntarily from Kenya to Somalia has fallen sharply over the past three years \u2013 from over 7,500 in 2018 to less than 200 in 2020, according to UNHCR. This fall in returns coincides with rising violence, displacement and drought within Somalia.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, resettlement offers from rich countries have largely dried up, leaving refugees with little choice but to stay in Kenya, where they have limited rights. Refugees in Dadaab are currently barred from working, travelling or studying outside the camps.<\/p>\n<p>The recent signing into law of Kenya\u2019s refugee bill could provide the chance for greater integration of refugees within the country, but this is dependent on it being implemented broadly to include all refugees, including Somalis.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure id=\"image-300561\" class=\"toolkit image-embed image-embed-- [ mt-0 mb-0 ml-0 mr-0 ] [ md:w-13\/20 md:ml-5\/20 ] [ lg:w-11\/20 lg:ml-4\/20 ] js-toolkit \" data-toolkit=\"image-\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/img.msf.org\/AssetLink\/wq2dh36t0oyo0v6kq0767cma8g8r84e6.jpg 1x\" type=\"image\/jpeg\" media=\"all and (min-width: 1200px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/img.msf.org\/AssetLink\/6n15r4lyavpdcnvco0dsl64pb4sa23b0.jpg 1x\" type=\"image\/jpeg\" media=\"(min-width: 750px) and (max-width: 1199px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/img.msf.org\/AssetLink\/v16mu3d208p5c263vlr632t6m07n4yc1.jpg 1x\" type=\"image\/jpeg\" media=\"all and (max-width: 749px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"MSF hospital in Dagahaley, Dadaab regugee complex\" src=\"https:\/\/img.msf.org\/AssetLink\/822821shjbwx4obv1d3acand0km77uv6.jpg\" alt=\"MSF hospital in Dagahaley, Dadaab regugee complex\" \/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"caption [ m-0 ] [ font-tiempos text-11 leading-20 text-grey-emperor ] [ lg:text-14 lg:leading-22 ] [ relative mb-15 md:mb-13 lg:mb-19 ]\">A surgical team operate on a child in the operation theatre at Dagahaley hospital. Kenya, November 2021.<\/figcaption><div class=\"image-embed__container [ relative pl-1\/10 pr-1\/10 ml-1\/10 mt-28 ] [ md:mt-29 ] [ lg:mt-27 ]\">\n<p><span class=\"eyebrow [ m-0 ] [ font-america-condensed text-10 leading-15 tracking-wide uppercase no-underline ] [ lg:text-12 lg:leading-22 ] \">CHALI FLANI PRODUCTIONS FOR MSF<\/span><\/p>\n<aside class=\"share js-share [ relative ]\"><a class=\"share__toggle js-share-toggle [ inline-flex items-center no-underline ]\" title=\"Share\"><span class=\"eyebrow [ m-0 ] [ font-america-condensed text-10 leading-15 tracking-wide uppercase no-underline ] [ lg:text-12 lg:leading-22 ] [ ml-13 text-black uppercase ]\">SHARE<\/span><\/a><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div id=\"text-block-300557\" class=\"toolkit text-block [ ml-1\/10 mr-1\/10 ] [ md:ml-6\/20 md:w-11\/20 ] [ lg:ml-5\/20 lg:w-9\/20 ] js-toolkit\" data-toolkit=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"text-block__content\">\n<p>\u201cKenya now has a simple choice: to let refugees slide further into precariousness, or to champion their rights by offering them the chance to study, work and move freely,\u201d says Krause. \u201cDonor countries must share responsibility by increasing development assistance to Kenya so that it can ensure refugees have access to public services.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The plan to close the camps has already caused humanitarian assistance to plummet, with the World Food Programme warning in September that it may be forced to stop distributing food rations altogether by the end of this year if more funding does not arrive.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat we fear most is that closing the camps without offering solutions to refugees could result in a humanitarian disaster,\u201d says Jeroen Matthys, MSF\u2019s project coordinator in Dagahaley, one of the three camps that make up Dadaab.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is vital that refugees have uninterrupted access to humanitarian assistance throughout the camp closure process and until they have certainty about their future and can become self-reliant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEven as rich countries have flouted refugee rights, Kenya has remained generous in hosting hundreds of thousands of refugees for years,\u201d says Krause. \u201cAs we mark the 70th anniversary of the Refugee Convention this year, Kenya should seize this opportunity to turn the tide and find lasting solutions that have the interests of refugees at their heart.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"border-text-300558\" class=\"border-block [ pt-41 ml-1\/10 mr-1\/10 ] [ md:w-11\/20 md:pt-48 md:ml-6\/20 ] [ lg:pt-50 lg:ml-5\/20 lg:w-9\/20 ] js-toolkit\" data-toolkit=\"border\">\n<p>MSF has provided healthcare to refugees in Dadaab for most of the camps\u2019 existence, having set up activities in the camp for the first time in 1991. Our current programmes are focused in Dagahaley camp, where we provide comprehensive healthcare to refugees and host communities, including basic and specialist care through two health posts and a 100-bed hospital. Our medical services include sexual and reproductive healthcare including emergency obstetrical surgeries, medical and psychological assistance to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, mental health, home-based insulin care and palliative care.<\/p>\n<p>In 2020, we held an average of 12,500 outpatient consultations and some 720 inpatient admissions every month in Dagahaley. We also assisted 2,956 births throughout the year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<section class=\"component transporter js-transporter [ pt-35 pb-35 bg-grey-darkest ] [ md:pt-65 md:pb-65 ] [ lg:pt-85 lg:pb-85 ] js-component\" data-component=\"transporter\" data-transporter-endpoint=\"https:\/\/www.msf.org\/api\/transporter\/48416-node\/48405-node\/48396-node\">\n<div class=\"transporter__wrapper [ w-full max-w-max mx-auto ]\">\n<div class=\"container [ text-white ]\">\n<div class=\"transporter__container [ pl-1\/10 pr-1\/10 ]\">\n<h4 class=\"typo-featured [ m-0 ] [ font-america text-25 leading-23 ] [ lg:text-37 lg:leading-38 ] \">In search of dignity: Refugees in Kenya face a reckoning<\/h4>\n<div class=\"transporter__meta [ mt-15 ] [ lg:mt-20 ]\"><span class=\"[ inline border-r border-red pr-16 mr-16 font-tiempos-italic text-11 leading-18 tracking-small ] [ lg:text-13 lg:leading-22 ]\">Report<\/span> <span class=\"[ inline-block font-tiempos-italic text-11 leading-18 tracking-small ] [ lg:text-13 lg:leading-22 ]\">6 December 2021, Paul Odongo, MSF<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content wrap js-content is-current\">\n<nav class=\"nav-article [ fixed flex pin-t pin-l w-full h-48 bg-white z-11 ] md:h-75 lg:h-98 js-nav-article is-show\">\n<aside class=\"scroll-tracker [ absolute pin-b pin-l h-2 bg-red ] [ md:h-3 ] [ lg:h-4 ] js-scroll-tracker\"><\/aside>\n<\/nav>\n<section class=\"hero hero--article-detail js-hero [ relative ] \">\n<figure class=\"hero__media js-hero-media bottom-aligned [ overflow-hidden absolute pin w-full h-full m-0 ]\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/img.msf.org\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=2000,f=auto,q=70\/https:\/\/img.msf.org\/AssetLink\/424c1l302ycx6ae3l2u7f73ni551t0lq.jpg 1x\" type=\"image\/jpeg\" media=\"all and (min-width: 1200px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/img.msf.org\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=1200,f=auto,q=65\/https:\/\/img.msf.org\/AssetLink\/424c1l302ycx6ae3l2u7f73ni551t0lq.jpg 1x\" type=\"image\/jpeg\" media=\"(min-width: 750px) and (max-width: 1199px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/img.msf.org\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=749,f=auto,q=65\/https:\/\/img.msf.org\/AssetLink\/1s5x1qh6yn2i601l82850kq02g3r3350.jpg 1x\" type=\"image\/jpeg\" media=\"(min-width: 426px) and (max-width: 749px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/img.msf.org\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=425,height=405,fit=cover,g=auto,f=auto,q=60\/https:\/\/img.msf.org\/AssetLink\/1s5x1qh6yn2i601l82850kq02g3r3350.jpg 1x\" type=\"image\/jpeg\" media=\"all and (max-width: 425px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"An aerial view of Dagahaley camp\" src=\"https:\/\/img.msf.org\/AssetLink\/lfpm0dny41q8tfv323cnntllj12k136p.jpg\" alt=\"An aerial view of Dagahaley camp\" \/><\/picture><\/figure>\n<div class=\"hero__content [ relative flex flex-col justify-end max-w-max h-full pb-52 mx-auto z-1 ] [ md:pb-74 ] [ lg:pb-82 ]\">\n<div class=\"container [ pl-1\/10 pr-1\/10 ] \">\n<p><a class=\"eyebrow-link [ inline-flex items-center relative font-tiempos-italic no-underline text-black mb-13 ] [ lg:mb-10 ]\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.msf.org\/kenya\"><span class=\"eyebrow [ block font-tiempos-italic text-13 leading-22 tracking-small text-black ]\">Kenya<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<ul class=\"[ list-reset ] [ lg:flex lg:flex-wrap lg:flex-col ]\">\n<li class=\"[ mr-15 ] [ md:mb-6 ] [ lg:mr-0 ]\"><a class=\"[ no-underline uppercase ]\" title=\"Refugees, IDPs and people on the move\" href=\"https:\/\/www.msf.org\/refugees-idps-and-people-move\"><span class=\"eyebrow [ m-0 ] [ font-america-condensed text-10 leading-15 tracking-wide uppercase no-underline ] [ lg:text-12 lg:leading-22 ] \">REFUGEES, IDPS AND PEOPLE ON THE MOVE<\/span> <\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"\"><a class=\"[ no-underline uppercase ]\" title=\"Kenya\" href=\"https:\/\/www.msf.org\/kenya\"><span class=\"eyebrow [ m-0 ] [ font-america-condensed text-10 leading-15 tracking-wide uppercase no-underline ] [ lg:text-12 lg:leading-22 ] \">KENYA<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<article class=\"article container js-article js-container is-text-block [ pt-40 ] [ md:pt-60 ] [ lg:pt-80 ]\">\n<header id=\"\" class=\"article-meta toolkit js-toolkit [ relative ]\" data-toolkit=\"article-meta\"><\/header>\n<div id=\"text-block-300547\" class=\"toolkit text-block [ ml-1\/10 mr-1\/10 ] [ md:ml-6\/20 md:w-11\/20 ] [ lg:ml-5\/20 lg:w-9\/20 ] js-toolkit\" data-toolkit=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"text-block__content\">\n<p>With the announcement that refugee camps in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.msf.org\/kenya\" data-entity-substitution=\"canonical\" data-entity-type=\"taxonomy_term\" data-entity-uuid=\"5c96b6ed-62f2-4268-91c7-9ef913efd921\">Kenya<\/a>\u00a0will close next year, the majority of Somali refugees face the prospect of either going back to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msf.org\/somalia\" data-entity-substitution=\"canonical\" data-entity-type=\"taxonomy_term\" data-entity-uuid=\"15d919ee-aecc-4c9f-bcea-49c3583289d7\">Somalia<\/a> or remaining in Kenya illegally, without assistance or legal rights. With no chance of seeking secure work in Kenya, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msf.org\/refugees-idps-and-people-move\" data-entity-substitution=\"canonical\" data-entity-type=\"taxonomy_term\" data-entity-uuid=\"ef9a6bed-ec37-4201-bf9d-167488fba6cc\">refugees<\/a> will be forced to turn to the informal market to sustain themselves, exposing them to abuse and exploitation. This would be a huge failure of international refugee protection.<\/p>\n<p>In this 70th anniversary year of the 1951 Refugee Convention, Kenya is at a crossroads: it could abandon refugees to their plight and follow other states in ignoring the provisions of the Convention, thus making it increasingly irrelevant; or it could use the camp closure as an opportunity to allow refugees their social and economic rights, affirming the centrality of the Refugee Convention and setting an example the rest of the world can follow.<\/p>\n<p>In this report, M\u00e9decins Sans Fronti\u00e8res (MSF) outlines the potential dangers facing the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msf.org\/urgent-solutions-needed-refugees-daddab-kenya-camps-close\">refugees who will find themselves abandoned<\/a> after the camps close, and offers sustainable recommendations to ensure these people can live dignified lives, where they can fulfil their aspiration to move freely, to work and to study.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Press Release, Paris, Nairobi, 6 December 2021 NAIROBI \u2013 With the deadline to close refugee camps in Kenya just over six months away, urgency is mounting to find sustainable solutions for refugees in the camps at Dadaab, who risk being deprived of the little assistance they currently receive, warns M\u00e9decins Sans Fronti\u00e8res (MSF) today. \u201cThe [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1001004,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12826"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1001004"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12826"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12826\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12828,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12826\/revisions\/12828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12826"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12826"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12826"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}