The three refugee camps in Dadaab in Kenya's Northeastern Province do not have the facilities to cater for the influx of refugees from Somalia, an official of the United Nations refugee agency said on Thursday.
"Ideally, the Dadaab camps should accommodate 60,000 people but at the moment there are 160,000," Eddie Gedalof, the UNHCR representative in Kenya, said in Nairobi.
"The camp is crowded, with a family of 10 sharing a single tarpaulin tent," Baarlin Abukar, a UNHCR field assistant based in Dadaab added. The UN launched a flash appeal on Thursday in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, for Somali refugees in Kenya.
"There is also a water shortage - among other challenges facing the refugees," Abukar said.
According to the six-month flash appeal, at least US $32 million is urgently required to provide humanitarian aid for the refugee population, with food, healthcare, nutrition, water and security the top priorities.
New arrivals have overstretched the camps' capacity, contributing to the negative environmental impact on neighbouring communities, Gedalof said.
"The majority of the people are also faced with malnutrition," he added.
The latest influx follows the unpredictable political situation in Somalia after territorial gains made by the Union of Islamic Courts and the precarious position of the Transitional Federal Government in Baidoa.
The impact of drought and destitution in the country was also contributing to the influx, with refugees coming from the southern areas of Mogadishu, Baidoa and Kismayo, Gedalof said.
The permanent secretary in Kenya's Ministry of Immigration and Registration of Persons, Emmanuel Kisombe, said Kenya was willing to accommodate the refugees but falling support was a burden for host countries.
"There is a need for a supportive and predictable international response to the refugee problem," Kisombe said.
However, he said, resolving the root cause of conflict in the refugees' home countries was the only sustainable solution.
At least 32,000 new arrivals have been registered in Dadaab this year, with an average of 100 refugees being registered each day between January and August. The number surged to an average of 1,000 refugees each day on 4 and 5 October.
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"Ideally, the Dadaab camps should accommodate 60,000 people but at the moment there are 160,000," Eddie Gedalof, the UNHCR representative in Kenya, said in Nairobi.
"The camp is crowded, with a family of 10 sharing a single tarpaulin tent," Baarlin Abukar, a UNHCR field assistant based in Dadaab added. The UN launched a flash appeal on Thursday in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, for Somali refugees in Kenya.
"There is also a water shortage - among other challenges facing the refugees," Abukar said.
According to the six-month flash appeal, at least US $32 million is urgently required to provide humanitarian aid for the refugee population, with food, healthcare, nutrition, water and security the top priorities.
New arrivals have overstretched the camps' capacity, contributing to the negative environmental impact on neighbouring communities, Gedalof said.
"The majority of the people are also faced with malnutrition," he added.
The latest influx follows the unpredictable political situation in Somalia after territorial gains made by the Union of Islamic Courts and the precarious position of the Transitional Federal Government in Baidoa.
The impact of drought and destitution in the country was also contributing to the influx, with refugees coming from the southern areas of Mogadishu, Baidoa and Kismayo, Gedalof said.
The permanent secretary in Kenya's Ministry of Immigration and Registration of Persons, Emmanuel Kisombe, said Kenya was willing to accommodate the refugees but falling support was a burden for host countries.
"There is a need for a supportive and predictable international response to the refugee problem," Kisombe said.
However, he said, resolving the root cause of conflict in the refugees' home countries was the only sustainable solution.
At least 32,000 new arrivals have been registered in Dadaab this year, with an average of 100 refugees being registered each day between January and August. The number surged to an average of 1,000 refugees each day on 4 and 5 October.
aw/mw
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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