The Kenyan government has postponed the deadline to close down Dadaab refugee camps by six months, offering relief to the over 200,000 refugees still holed up at the tents.
Making the statement, Interior CS Joseph Nkaissery said the move to postpone the deadline followed a request by the refugee agency UNHCR commissioner Filipo Grandi, who sought for more time to finalize a number of issues before the allowing the refugees to vacate.
Nkaissery said the security situation in Somalia was still volatile, and the ongoing elections had made it more difficult for Kenya and other interested partners to meet the deadline.
“We have accepted the request to further extend the deadline for completion of the repatriation exercise of Somali refugees by six months,” affirmed Nkaissery.
Kenya had announced in June this year that it planned to close the camps by end of November, which is barely a fortnight away.