Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta has made a U-turn on his government’s recent decision to forcibly return the hundreds thousands of Somali refugees.
Mr Kenyatta received in Nairobi on Wednesday the head of United Nations High Commissioner on refugees (UNHCR) Mr Antonio Guterres whom they held discussions on the refugees’ fate.
However, Kenyan President said in a Press release after the meeting that this government was determined not to breach the ‘’international obligations’’ by not violating the rights of the refugees.
“Kenya has been, and will continue, fulfilling its international obligations, but the sense of urgency to repatriate the refugees has been necessitated by the security threats facing Kenyans,” he said.
Earlier this week, U.S Secretary of State John Kerry said he was confident that Kenyan government won’t forcibly return the refugees after meeting President Uhuru Kenyatta in Nairobi.
Following the al-Shabaab massacre in Garissa University last month, the government of Kenya ordered UNHCR for the repatriation of refugees within three months. Human rights groups condemned the move which they said is violating the refugees’ conventions.
Kenyan leaders accused the Dadaab refugee camps as training grounds for terrorists and where al-Shabaab launched attacks from.
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Somalia: Kenya takes U-turn on refugees forced repatriation threat
Published: May 7, 2015
