Minors in Kakuma Refugee Camp need protection

Unaccompanied children are likely to suffer in Kenya's Kakuma refugee camp after missing out on a major resettlement initiative in the US by the State Department, says a Refugees International bulletin. The "great majority" of the unaccompanied minors are survivors of an "unpublicised massacre of several thousands" near Sudan refugee camps in Ethiopia in June 1991, during the overthrow of Ethiopian dictator Mengistu Haile Miriam, says the report. An estimated 1,500 unaccompanied minors remain in the camp where resettlement is slowed by underfunding and understaffing. Most suffer from anxiety and depression, and are alone in a situation they still perceive as dangerous. The Refugees International report recommends a new system of priority, additional funding and renewed consideration for resettlement of unaccompanied minors by third countries that customarily accept Horn of Africa refugees.