The latest report by an international NGO on repatriation has revealed that the Daadab refugees are being forced to pay bribes to access repatriation services, with process being involuntary, unsafe or undignified.
According to a Norwegian Refugee Council based in Oslo, Somalia refugees in the Dadaab camps feel trapped and helpless following the government’s decision to shut the camps by the end of November this year.
In an eight-paged document titled 'Dadaab’s broken promises, A call to reinstate voluntary, safe and dignified returns for the Dadaab refugee community', the report indicates that Kenya's sudden announcement to have the refugees deported has led to chaotic and disorganized returns of many vulnerable refugees.
The report further reveals that 74 percent of refugees in Dadaab are unwilling to return, mainly because of fear and insecurity back home in Somalia.
“The much publicized repatriation programme does not meet minimum international standards for the voluntary refugee repatriation," stated Jan Egeland, the NRC Secretary General.
Egeland said that the set deadline for the exercise was impossible, adding that the subsequent disbandment of Department of Refugee Affairs by the Kenyan authorities have led to more fear, panic, and chaos among the refugees.