Somali refugees in Kenya are leaving the country due to threats and pressure from the Kenyan security officials, the United Nations has said.
Mohamed Mahad Gurhan, an officer working with the United Nations Refugees Agency (UNHCR) Dadaab office, says families registering to return home report fearing for their lives.
“Families we have interviewed and many of those who filled the repatriation forms have shown that they are returning because of a threatening rhetoric by Kenyan regional security officials who recently visited the camp,” Gurhan told VOA’s Somali Service.
Gurhan said refugees forcibly returned to Somalia are vulnerable to theft and exploitation.
“We fear that these people fall into the traps of armed groups when they return unprepared,” he said, adding that the UNHCR would never be part of a repatriation process that forces refugees.
“We are committed to ensure that all returns to Somalia are voluntary and carried out in dignity, safety and protection," he added.