Fear Presists

The past two years have seen a dramatic increase in tension and violence in the communities where we are serving in Kenya. Fear is a major source of the ongoing anxiety experienced by the commutes that CBM is working with in urban ministry in Kenya. IRIN recently published a great article on the situation and experience of Somali refugees living in Eastleigh and Dadaab. As one resident shared:

 "Here is where our children call home... The government has put us in a condition of fear, and we can't even move out of our houses. We are lacking freedom of movement. We don't open our businesses," said Abdi Mohamed, an elderly businessman in Eastleigh. "Some of my neighbours have left for Mogadishu, and others are on course if the government directives persist.” (from the IRIN article below)

Since the rumours of expulsion and the increase of police raids in Eastleigh, many of the women we work with have gone into hiding or left. Please keep this community in your prayers!



Reprieve for Urban refugees, but fear persists
A report published by IRIN, January 24, 2013

NAIROBI, 24 January 2013 (IRIN) - Urban refugees in Kenya, threated with relocation to overcrowded refugee camps, are breathing a sigh of relief following a High Court ruling that has provisionally halted the move.

On 18 December 2012, Kenya's Department of Refugee Affairs announced that all refugees should leave urban areas and move to refugee camps - the northeastern Dadaab complex for Somali refugees, and the northwestern Kakuma camp for all others. It further ordered an immediate stop to the registration of refugees in urban areas. 

The directive was in response to a number of grenade attacks that have occurred in urban areas, follwoing Kenya's invasion of Somalia in October 2011. The attacks have been widely blamed on the Somali militant group Al-Shabab, although the group has not claimed responsibility. 

The government was due to begin the relocation of an estimated 100,000 urban refugees to camps on 21 January, but a ruling on 23 January by Justice David Majanja halted the government's plan until 4 February, when a petition against the directive filed by Kituo Cha Sheria, a local legal rights group, is scheduled to be heard. 

"I am satisfied that, in view of the international obligations Kenya has with respect to refugees, and the fact that under our Constitution refugees are vulnerable persons, the petitioner has an arguable case before the court, " the ruling stated. "A conservatory order... is hereby issued prohibiting any State officer [or] public officer agent of the Government from implementing the decision evidenced by and/or contained in the Press Release dated 18th December 2012 pending further orders of this court.” 



To read the full article click here