UN Agencies Begin Survey of Somali Refugees in Kenyan Camps
Nairobi, 28 Feb 2014 (SDN) –Two UN refugee and migration agencies are carrying out comprehensive four-month return intention survey of Somali refugees living in the Dadaab refugee complex in northern Kenya.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and International Organization for Migration (IOM) said a two-month exercise will ensure that refugees’ views and concerns are heard and taken into consideration in the planning process for their voluntary repatriation.
“In the next two months, 50 enumerators trained by IOM will be in the field to interview a sample of 7,453 households, representing 27 groups of refugees from nine different regions in Somalia, who arrived in three phases in Dadaab,” the agencies said in a statement on Wednesday.
“The survey will provide the estimated number of families that voice an intention to return to their place of origin or elsewhere in Somalia,” the two UN agencies said.
Somali refugees in Kenya are estimated at 500,000 and the number has increased due to turmoil and recurrent droughts in the Horn of African nation which has been torn asunder by factional fighting since 1991 but has recently made progress towards stability.
The conflict has left some 1.1 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and over 1 million more living in exile in neighboring countries, mostly in Kenya, Ethiopia and Yemen.
But with parts of Somalia showing signs of increasing stability, countries hosting Somali refugees are considering the potential to encourage them to return, while some Somalis have spontaneously decided to move back to areas under government control.
The Tripartite Agreement which was signed by Kenya, Somalia and UNHCR in November last year established a legal framework and other support for Somali refugees in Kenya who might eventually wish to return to their homeland.
According to UN agencies, households will be the primary units of observation and interviews will be conducted with the heads of the households or any other adult member representing the head of the household in his or her absence. Participation to the survey is voluntary and anonymous.
The survey will gather information on the previous situation in Somalia in terms of livelihoods, property, what forced the families to move from Somalia, current living conditions, skills and occupation, the reason why they may choose to return, and their expectations with regard to access to services, security, employment and housing in Somalia.
The UNHCRC and IOM said a comprehensive communication campaign has been organized, including a press conference in Dadaab, public service announcements on radio, and extensive information meetings with refugee leaders.
“Community mobilizers were hired among the refugee community to help convey the right message to the families in the camp about the objectives of the survey,” the agencies said.
The Horn of Africa nation has been undergoing a peace and national reconciliation process after decades of factional fighting, with a series of landmark steps that have helped bring an end to the country’s nine-year political transition period and the resulting security vacuum which rendered Somalia one of the most lawless states on the planet.
These steps included the adoption of a Provisional Constitution, the establishment of a new Parliament and the appointments of a new president and a new prime minister.
Source: Xinhua