![[Kenya] The refugees are legally confined within Kakuma Refugee Camp.](https://assets.thenewhumanitarian.org/s3fs-public/styles/responsive_large_2x/public/images/2005291.jpg.webp?itok=eUW1QZ6G "Kakuma refugee camp in northwestern Kenya.")
Tensions between refugees in Kakuma camp in northwestern Kenya and the local population have escalated after four people had been killed over the past two weeks, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said.
"A Somali refugee was killed on Tuesday night," Emmanuel Nyabera, UNHCR spokesperson in Kenya, told IRIN. "The situation is calm but tense. We’re holding community meetings to diffuse the tensions."
Relations between the refugees and members of the Turkana ethnic group had been strained by several violent incidents earlier this month, a local observer, who did not wish to be named, said. Two weeks ago, bandits from outside the camp shot dead a Somali man; two days later a Sudanese refugee was attacked and killed by local men.
When the relatives of the Sudanese man were digging his grave, they attacked two Turkana men in retaliation, killing one and seriously wounding the other.
Kenyan security forces had reinforced their presence in the refugee camp and managed to restore some calm - until the latest killing threw the camp back into turmoil on Wednesday.
Fortunata Ntonyani, acting head of UNHCR’s Kakuma sub-office, said a meeting between the Somali refugee leaders, relatives of the deceased, the local chief and the police on Wednesday had managed to calm the situation.
The refugee elders had complained of problems in controlling the restless youth and that a lack of correct information was leading to rumours and further unrest. "The elders on both sides want the police to take action," Ntonyani said.
On Thursday, the situation was relatively calm and Turkana traders could be seen going around the camp again, resuming their business.
"Investigations are ongoing," Nyabera said. "There have been cases of banditry and cattle rustling all over Turkana District. It’s not necessarily an issue between the refugees and the local population. The area has not been very safe."
The observer confirmed that the general security situation in the region was problematic and that the refugees lacked the means to protect themselves.
During the last serious incident, in June 2003, eight refugees and three Turkana were killed in clashes between refugees from Kakuma and the local population.
Nyabera said UNHCR was trying to improve the security situation for camp residents in cooperation with the Kenyan government. The refugee agency was also working to improve the well-being of the Turkana community by providing health services, water, educational facilities and infrastructure.
"There is no history of conflict [between Turkana and Kakuma refugees]," Ntonyani stressed. "These are individual incidents that are not related to water or food."
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"A Somali refugee was killed on Tuesday night," Emmanuel Nyabera, UNHCR spokesperson in Kenya, told IRIN. "The situation is calm but tense. We’re holding community meetings to diffuse the tensions."
Relations between the refugees and members of the Turkana ethnic group had been strained by several violent incidents earlier this month, a local observer, who did not wish to be named, said. Two weeks ago, bandits from outside the camp shot dead a Somali man; two days later a Sudanese refugee was attacked and killed by local men.
When the relatives of the Sudanese man were digging his grave, they attacked two Turkana men in retaliation, killing one and seriously wounding the other.
Kenyan security forces had reinforced their presence in the refugee camp and managed to restore some calm - until the latest killing threw the camp back into turmoil on Wednesday.
Fortunata Ntonyani, acting head of UNHCR’s Kakuma sub-office, said a meeting between the Somali refugee leaders, relatives of the deceased, the local chief and the police on Wednesday had managed to calm the situation.
The refugee elders had complained of problems in controlling the restless youth and that a lack of correct information was leading to rumours and further unrest. "The elders on both sides want the police to take action," Ntonyani said.
On Thursday, the situation was relatively calm and Turkana traders could be seen going around the camp again, resuming their business.
"Investigations are ongoing," Nyabera said. "There have been cases of banditry and cattle rustling all over Turkana District. It’s not necessarily an issue between the refugees and the local population. The area has not been very safe."
The observer confirmed that the general security situation in the region was problematic and that the refugees lacked the means to protect themselves.
During the last serious incident, in June 2003, eight refugees and three Turkana were killed in clashes between refugees from Kakuma and the local population.
Nyabera said UNHCR was trying to improve the security situation for camp residents in cooperation with the Kenyan government. The refugee agency was also working to improve the well-being of the Turkana community by providing health services, water, educational facilities and infrastructure.
"There is no history of conflict [between Turkana and Kakuma refugees]," Ntonyani stressed. "These are individual incidents that are not related to water or food."
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This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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