Somali Bantu refugees move camp en route to US

The relocation of Somali Bantu refugees in Kenya resumed on Monday following a slight setback to the operation last week after clashes broke out in the refugee camp, reportedly over recruitment policies.

A total of 11,800 refugees are due to be moved from Dadaab camp in eastern Kenya to Kakuma camp in the northwest of the country, on the first leg of a journey that will eventually take them to the US.

According to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, the Somali Bantus, a minority in their own country, have long been considered as second-class citizens in their society. Over 10,000 of them fled to Kenya when civil war broke out in Somalia in the early 1990s. Their arrival in Somalia stems from the Arab slave trade of the 18th and 19th centuries, with many of them having strong ancestral links to Tanzania and Mozambique.

"Considering the security situation and specific protection concerns in their country of origin, repatriation of these refugees back to Somalia remains quite unlikely," said UNHCR Deputy Representative Arun Sala-Ngarm.

In 1999, the US agreed to resettle the Somali Bantus. The International Organisation of Migration (IOM) is in charge of the logistical aspects of the operation, but residents in Garissa - the nearest town to Dadaab camp - were reportedly angered by the fact that no local staff were recruited as registration officers for the exercise.

The 'East African Standard' reported that hundreds of residents stormed the camp last week and pelted officials with stones, causing injuries and damage to property. But officials working in the camp told IRIN the situation was now calm and that the relocation had resumed "without incident".

A total of 559 Somali Bantu refugees have so far been moved in two convoys, and the rest are expected to reach Kakuma over a three to four month period, UNHCR spokesman Emmanuel Nyabera told IRIN. He said the first to leave are the able-bodied. Disabled refugees may have to be flown out.

According to an IOM press statement, the 1,500-km journey to Kakuma takes about 30 hours. "IOM, working in close cooperation with UNHCR, has identified overnight stops and medical facilities along the route, and has taken the necessary security precautions," the statement said.

In Kakuma, the refugees will be interviewed by American immigration officials for resettlement in the US. The US government has requested that the whole operation take place in one location, hence the transfer to Dadaab, UNHCR said.