Greeny News

The Kenyan government refuses to open the refugee camp of £ 10 million, despite the growing concern for crowded in Dadaab 400 000

Somalis fleeing famine and conflict have pushed the population of the world's largest colonies of refugees to 400,000 yesterday for the first time with the host Government of Kenya, apparently blocking the opening of a field overflow already built.

About 1400 Somalis reach Dadaab, Kenya, in the north every day, pushing the boundaries of most refugee camps in the arid scrubland, away from bathrooms, water points and security patrols.

Humanitarian workers are desperate to move

some of the most vulnerable to a new area of ??£ 10 million calls Ifo 2. It was built last year to house more than 40,000 people and has three schools, four water towers and hundreds of latrines.

But the Kenyan government refused to allow the open field, with the argument that suggests permanence and that refugees should be treated rather than on Somali soil.

In a compromise agreement, thousands of Somali families living in makeshift shelters on the outskirts of the three existing camps move in tents on a piece of cleared land Extension hastily called Ifo where latrines are dug and the water must be trucked

ignore the two Ifo is causing growing frustration of humanitarian agencies and refugees, with the Kenyan government and the UN for Refugees (UNHCR) to receive criticism.

Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga last month suggests that the Ifo 2 can be opened, but the government has not officially confirmed, and local politicians strongly oppose the measure. UNHCR, which describes the growing number of Dadaab as "a big concern," said Odinga received comments at face value, and insists that people will soon move into the new field.

"IFO 2 is open," said William Spindler, spokesman for the agency in Dadaab. "We said that NGOs can move in"

Kenya has historically been a generous host to refugees from neighboring countries. But in recent years, the government was concerned about the situation in Somalia, in particular the terrorist threat posed by Al Qaeda insurgents.

flow of Somali refugees - more than 130,000 Somalis have arrived in Dadaab this year, some 85,000 of them since June - has also raised concerns about the environment. In 1991, the water is 10 meters below the surface. Now the drilling is to be drilled Dabaab 200 meters underground. The forest cover has been significantly reduced by the need for heating.

addition to the 400 579 refugees in Dadaab officially registered on Monday, another 38 000 were waiting to be registered. This means Dadaab is the third largest "city" in Kenya. If the current continues to flow, the official camp populations exceed half a million people in late October.

Find best price for : --Somali----Kenya----Mwai----Hagadera----Dabaab----William----Raila----Dadaab--