Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta, right, and Ethiopia’s PM Hailemariam Desalegn and the Chairman of the IGAD Assembly of Heads of State and Government, left, listen to speeches during the special summit, in Nairobi, March 25, 2017.
Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta, right, and Ethiopia’s PM Hailemariam Desalegn and the Chairman of the IGAD Assembly of Heads of State and Government, left, listen to speeches during the special summit, in Nairobi, March 25, 2017.
The leaders of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development regional grouping, meeting in Nairobi Saturday, agreed to facilitate the voluntary return of refugees and address the political and security situation in Somalia.
Eight leaders from eastern Africa met in Nairobi to discuss the situation of Somali refugees in the region.
The meeting was held two months before the planned Dadaab refugee camp closure by the Kenyan government.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta insists the refugee camp in the northeast part of his country is no longer just a sanctuary for refugees but is the scene of criminal and terror activities too.
“Instead Dadaab has become a protracted situation characterized by hopelessness that easily feeds environmental destructions, a conflict between refugees and host communities, insecurity, radicalization, criminality and also allows terrorist operatives to exploit for its operational efforts,” he said.