Somali Refugees Guaranteed Safety during Repatriation

Kenya has assured Somali refugees that their repatriation to their homeland will be an orderly one that guarantees their security. The assurance comes in the wake of widespread fears that the government may use forceful means to return the refugees to Somalia.

Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed revealed that there were plans for a conference to be held next month to discuss the repatriation process. “We are working closely with the Somali government and UNHCR to develop orderly, safe and sustainable ways of repatriating the refugees,” she stated.

Allegations of victimisation and harassment have surfaced from refugees who opted to return to Somalia in line with a voluntary repatriation deal signed between Mogadishu and Nairobi in June. Some refugees have also become increasingly resistant to moving back to somalia on the their own volition.

A court ruling by the Kenyan High Court last week barred the state from forcefully repatriating refugees in Nairobi because it would constitute a violation of their dignity. The case, filed by 55,000 complainants, argued that the presence of these refugees in Kenya was not a threat to national security.

Somalia's relative calm will make such relocations a reality (Photo courtesy of www.capitalfm.co.ke)

Certain sections of Somali refugees have come under criticism for furthering terrorist activities in the country through grenade attacks in major towns. The spate of grenade attacks later heightened hostilities between Kenyans and Somalis in Eastleigh who engaged each other in violence in November last year.

A Human Rights Watch report in 2013 accused the Kenyan police of violating human rights of Somali refugees between November 2012 and January 2013. The violations ranged from arbitrary arrests, rape, extortions and torture of close to 1,000 refugees in Nairobi. The report accuses the police of taking advantage of a government order for the relocation of urban refugees to refugee camps to mete out hell on these communities.

Somalia has been ravaged by civil wars for over two decades although it is currently enjoying an uneasy calm. Kenya has been the most affected by the war with thousands of refugees flocking the country—it is host to over 600,000 refugees from Somalia. This number makes Kenya the leading host of refugees in Africa.

Do you think the time is right for Somali refugees to go back home?

Read More

Uganda Grapples With Swelling Refugee Numbers

The Ugandan government finds itself in a difficult position as it struggles to meet the humanitarian needs of over 60,000 refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) who are fleeing heavy fighting between DRC’s national army (FARDC) and the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Ugandan rebel group. 

Mohammed Adar, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) representative in the country admits that humanitarian agencies and the government have been overwhelmed by the refugees’ arrival. “The massive arrivals of the refugees have overwhelmed us considering the limited preparations to provide humanitarian services,” he explained.

The pursuit of peace: Congolese refugees seeking solace in Uganda in large numbers (photo courtesy of www.in2eastafrica.net)

Bundibugyo, a town in the western part of Uganda, has bore the brunt of this influx of refugees who have been housed in various primary schools in the area. The government has been engaged in frantic efforts to erect shelter, water and sanitation facilities as part of the emergency response.

Mr. Adar appealed for financial assistance from the international community and other donors because the operating budget of UNHCR is sufficient. “We need financial help from the international community to cope with this sudden surge in refugees,” he stated.

Figures from UNHCR indicate that Uganda hosts more than 190,000 refugees whereas over 20,000 are currently seeking asylum. The flare of violence in DRC will undoubtedly heighten the humanitarian crisis for the East African state as more people cross over into the country.

Last week, UNHCR announced that more refugees were crossing into Uganda through Kisoro while fleeing battles between the M23 rebel group and government forces.

Read More

Reprieve for 400 African Immigrants as Malta Cancels Repatriation Flights

The Maltese government has been forced to cancel its plans to repatriate 400 immigrants from Somalia and Eritrea after the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) issued a temporary order halting the repatriation.

The court order came after a group of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) requested for a stop to the repatriation plans amidst media reports that the government had arranged two flights to send these migrants to Libya.

The NGOs argued that the government’s plan constituted ‘push-back’, which was a strategy outlawed by the ECHR last year after former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi used it persistently in 2009.

Malta Prime Minister John Muscat denied that plans to repatriate the immigrants amounted to push-back but acknowledged that he was in contact with Libya regarding the return of the migrants.

Malta's nightmare: Constant arrival of African immigrants is causing headaches to the island (Photo courtesy of www.haaretz.com)

The island, home to an estimated 40,000 people, has bore the brunt of African immigrants who use it as a gateway to other European countries. According to the Mail Online, the situation often worsens during the summer where boats ferrying migrants escaping war and poverty arrive on the shores of the island. 

The Italian island of Lampedusa has also been affected by the influx of African immigrants. In 2010, 63 immigrants lost their lives on the Mediterranean Sea after Spanish and French military ignored their distress—an action that has attracted a lawsuit from two surviving immigrants.

Muscat has criticised the European Union (EU) for not supporting Malta in its efforts to curtail the constant streaming of immigrants to the island. However, the EU, through its commissioner for home affairs Cecilia Malmstrom, reiterated the importance of obeying EU and international obligations by properly assessing the situation of all immigrants and allowing them to file an asylum request.

Considering Malta’s situation, do you think it is justified in its desire to repatriate the immigrants?

Read More

EAC States Risk Sanctions over Human Trafficking Laxity

Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda face sanctions from the United States for their laxity in dealing with human trafficking in the region. This comes after the countries were grouped among the ‘watch-list states’ in a report released by the U.S State Department last week.

The report reveals that these countries have become notorious sources and destinations for widespread trafficking. It also notes the increasing role of the family members of trafficking victims in facilitating this illicit trade.

In Burundi, friends, family members and neighbours of the victims lure them with promises of employment or education only to recruit them into forced labour. “Sometimes, these people collude with traffickers who force victims with disabilities into street begging activities,” the report states.

  EAC states are not doing enough to stop human trafficking (Photo courtesy of www.sanantonio.gov)

The same scenario plays out in Tanzania where young girls are forced into domestic servitude. Boys have also not been spared as some are forced into sex trade or forced labour at farms, fishing boats or mines.

The State Department Report also notes that sexual exploitation of children is increasing along the Kenya-Tanzania border. “Sex trafficking of girls is also prevalent in tourist areas within the country,” the report reads in part.

In Rwanda, older females entice young girls seeking to better their lives with room and boarding facilities before forcing them into prostitution as payment for their expenses. In some instances, there are loose prostitution networks, which supply other women or clients with young girls. These networks even operate in secondary schools and universities.

“The sex tourism industry at the Kenyan coast has benefited immensely from human trafficking within the country,” the report further reveals. Victims are forced into this trade by beach boys and even their own parents to gain money from tourists frequenting the coastal areas. Other areas that are notorious destinations for human trafficking include miraa cultivation areas in eastern Kenya as well as gold mines in Nyanza.

Sofia Rajab, the project manager-Counter Trafficking in Persons at the CRADLE-Children’s Foundation agrees that the Kenyan government’s efforts to curb trafficking in persons are not enough. “Sometimes the government is lax in protecting victims of human trafficking. For example, it took long to put measures in place for the operation of the Counter Trafficking in Persons Act,” she explains. Ms. Rajab states that it took a lawsuit from CRADLE against the government before the act could be gazetted in October 2012—two years after it had been passed in parliament.

According to U.S. State Department’s report, Middle East countries are common destinations for human trafficking in East Africa. Victims are often subjected to sex slavery and domestic labour exploitation.

Uganda was the only East African country missing from the ‘watch-list countries’ because of the government’s efforts to curtail the illicit trade. Nonetheless, human trafficking is still a major thorn in the flesh for the country.

Licensed employment agencies and security firms in Kampala recruit Ugandans to work as security guards and drivers in the Middle East. Later, these people complain of working under exploitative conditions that are similar to forced labour, such as, withholding of their passports, non-payment of dues and lack of food. Women are forced into prostitution in Malaysia after gaining recruitment as nannies, hotel staff or hair dressers.

What are your thoughts? Should combating human trafficking be a top priority for East Africa?

Read More