“Temporary” refugees start returning home

Thousands of Somali refugees who fled inter-clan fighting in the southern Somalia border town of Bula Hawa have started to return home following a peace agreement between local leaders. People who had taken refuge in the neighbouring Kenyan town of Mandera, northeastern Kenya, began going home on their own from last Thursday, UNHCR spokesman Kris Janowski said on Tuesday. About 10,000 refugees fled heavy fighting in Bula Hawa on 30 March, with only about 10 percent of the town’s population remaining.

According to the spokesman, local Somali clan leaders agreed to change the district commissioner and establish an inter-clan militia as part of the peace agreement. UNHCR efforts to open a temporary shelter in the area were unsuccessful because the Kenyan government rejected the establishment of any site in Mandera, citing security concerns, Janowski explained. Kenyan authorities instead asked UNHCR to relocate refugees to existing camps in Kakuma, northern Kenya, and Dadaab, northeastern Kenya.

The spokesman said UNHCR would aid vulnerable returnees with transport to make the short trip home, and was also assisting local health facilities with medical supplies.