UN document shows Kenya seeking to close Somali refugee camp

By TOM ODULA

Published March 29, 2019

An internal United Nations document says Kenya again seeks to close the Dadaab camp that hosts more than 200,000 refugees from neighboring Somalia.

The U.N. refugee agency document obtained by The Associated Press says it "appreciates" Kenya's suggestion to close the camp in six months. But it notes that security remains "precarious" in Somalia, where the al-Shabab extremist group is based.

Kenya calls the refugee camp, one of the world's largest, a source of insecurity. A Kenyan court in 2017 blocked its closure, saying it was not safe for refugees to return home.

A senior government official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the issue, confirmed Kenya's plan to close the camp and said it followed a deadly al-Shabab attack in Nairobi in January.

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