UNHCR: Camps in Ethiopia and Kenya Battered by Rain
Nairobi (SDN)-The world’s largest refugee agency is scrambling to help Somali refugees living in camps in Kenya and Ethiopia amid heavy rains that have been pounding the region since mid-April.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees also stated that an increasing number of refugees are making their way to camps in Ethiopia.
The Dollo Cado camp in Ethiopia has seen upwards of 450 new refugee arrivals per day according to a spokesperson for the UNCHR.
People continue to flee Somalia long after the drought and famine conditions of last year due to insecurity and political upheaval.
The UNCHR says the rains have led to heavy flooding which has hindered its ability to provide support to the refugees who are in need of tents, tarps and other materials to cover their makeshift homes from the rain.
The spread of water-borne disease remains the major concern in addition to the need for clean drinking water in order to prevent outbreaks of infectious disease.
The transitional federal government of Somalia is currently preoccupied with a United Nations and African Union backed roadmap to peace that is hoped to bring political stability to the region but has also led to renewed fighting with militant groups who oppose the government’s rule. Citizens caught in the cross fire continue to leave the beleaguered nation for camps in neighbouring countries, according to the UNCHR many cite political instability in their motherland as the primary reason.
SDN-Nairobi