KANERE - A Refugee Free PressSantos Madhiu – KANERE Staff Writer November 2020
Refugee FM Kakuma and Kalobeyei Radio, shortened as REF FM KK, is a community-based radio station in the Kalobeyei refugee settlement. The station is run by and for refugees and host communities and the FM frequency channel is 88.4.
By KANERE News Desk
An Eritrean asylum seeker was found hanging dead from a tree in an apparent suicide at Kakuma, camp 3 section.
Following a tip from a refugee block leader in Zone 2 of Kakuma 3, a KANERE reporter had made it the scene before the police and ambulance arrived and later witnessed the body being carried away. The asylum seeker was pronounced dead at the scene.
By Tolossa Asrat – KANERE Staff Writer, November 2020
Since Trump took the US Presidency in 2016, refugee issues have been heavily politicized not only in US, the global leader in refugee resettlement and humanitarian support, but also in most European countries, where locals have expressed xenophobia towards refugees and asylum seekers.
It’s been a couple of months since our last edition, but we are back to reporting with a few but critical items of coverage on Kakuma.
Kakuma has had very negative happenings in the recent months and there’s been no easy solutions to such. It was devastating, it was sad when communal violence erupted like a volcano between the ethnic communities, mainly the Dinkas and Nuers of South Sudan, before escalating to other nationalities. It was ugly and unprecedented killings that took place in this camp. More than twenty people were killed, hundreds injured and thousands displaced. We have included an in-depth story that features the murders and unfolding of the violence.
It seems to be the nature of Kakuma to be a place which is full of problems! The environmental problem is added to manmade problems, to cause underlying poverty made worse by other natural phenomena. On Friday, 21 November, at least three refugees died as a result of floods in the camp. The heavy downpour destroyed a dozen houses made of loose soil exposing refugees to hazardous weather conditions, while some refugees who died in the flood were not been identified.
There has been a cut in rations for nearly two months now. It is a nightmare for thousands of the camp residents who have no other option for staying alive. It’s irrational, when you warehouse people for decades, controlling their movements and nurturing them to fully depend on aid. And yet eventually, as if you’re wakened from a deep sleep you happen not to have any food in the store for them! Refugees view the ongoing hunger as a gross failure of accountability in providing food as a basic human right that every human being is entitled to by UN – World Food Program.
Quite simply, this is the impact of warehousing! There are speculations that the next catastrophe would be the lack of life saving drugs in the refugee hospital. Anyone could guess what would happen in such a scenario! Yet, every year, the camp has received unknown billions of aid dollars that were never disclosed to the beneficiaries. There are many theories about the game of the aid industry both from the refugees and the international community, because the principles on paper contradict the facts and reality on refugee protection on the ground.
In spite of less emphasis than usual, the sixteen days of gender activism were ‘celebrated’ by several humanitarian NGOs in supporting the campaigns to shed light on gender based violence and children’s rights. In commemoration of these major days that were observed internationally, a story on the refugees living with disability, with their first hand views is included in this edition.
As we would strive hard to report in the new year, we are asking our readers to take action on each story by creating publicity on the refugees’ situation and supporting the work of KANERE from within the camp.
We are looking forward to your comments, suggestions and article contribution to a free press. We would like to consider well balanced, informative stories with value on refugee affairs.
KANERE’s editorial would like to wish you happy holidays and Merry Christmas!
Qaabata Boru
The editor
“I doubt whether any humanitarian NGOs were able to document the killings that took place. We lost six refugees killed and thousands displaced from the Great Lakes community,”
– a Congolese humanitarian aid worker told Kanere/ “Violence in Kakuma Kills 20”
“This initiative aims at supporting the spontaneous return movement we have observed since 2012 and at better targeting the assistance needed by those opting to return to their places of origins to rebuild their lives,”
– Raouf Mazou, Representative of UNHCR Kenya/ “Repatriation of Somali Refugees”
“As camp refugees we are entirely depending on the rations for survival, now that it’s cut, then refugees are at risk of starvation,”
– A refugee camp leader told Kanere/ “WFP to cut food rations”
“We are not seen as useful members of the communities, but we are people with brain and soul,”
– Abdinasir Mohammed, chairperson of the disabled group in Kakuma 1/ “International Day of Persons with Disability”
“Earlier on, it was with luck that a group of six administration police officers came to rescue the people but they were outnumbered,”
– Abdiweli Osman, a Somali refugee/ “Passengers Taken Hostage at Kainuk, Turkana”
“I’ve personally visited the ‘Hongkong’ police post over the rape case but police didn’t act responsively,”
– a Nuer refugee leader in Kakuma 1 told KANERE/ “Violence in Kakuma Kills 20”
“As a result of insufficient funding, the WFP has been forced to reduce food rations for over half a million refugees living in the Dadaab and Kakuma camps by 50 percent,”
– Challiss McDonough, WFP’s regional spokeswoman/ ” WFP to cut food rations”
“Kakuma is not a good place for anyone to live but the disabled people have lost hopes,”
– says 34 years old Mukishimana, a disabled person from North Kivu, Congo/ “International Day of Persons with Disability”
“We are not sure of where to go and what we are required to do. I don’t know what amount of support is available for my family!”
– Ali Ibrahim Mohamed from Dadaab’s Ifo 2 camp/ “Repatriation of Somali Refugees”
“In the first week of violence at least 10 refugees were killed from South Sudan, the situation worsened in the second week and we lost 11 refugees from different nationalities,”
– a leader from the Dinka community told Kanere in an interview/ “Violence in Kakuma Kills 20”
A Poem By A. Kuot
By Joyce Keeley
This past week Kenya witnessed its 17th explosion throughout the country since the Westgate attack, where al Shabaab terrorists killed over 67 people and injured nearly 200 others in a popular shopping mall.
“We could not establish the cause of the fire and had no knowledge why the kid’s mother had tied her son in chains except that the boy had mental problems,”
– local security guard told Kanere/ “House fire killed three children”
“We have already taken over the full responsibility for the RSD process from the UNHCR,”
– DRA official in Kakuma office disclosed/ “RSD Transition”
“These forums will target largely the new arrivals among others to enlighten them on the laws as per the Refugee Act, their rights and obligations,”
– Martin Pepela – Programme manager RCK Kakuma – told Kanere/ “RCK’s Legal Awareness Forums”
“I was born in Kenya (Malindi) but my parents came from Kismayo. I am living with nine members of my family in Kakuma. I have never been to Somalia and all I know is about Kenya but despite the fact of owning a nationality by virtue of birth I don’t have a Kenyan Citizenship. The repatriation of Somalis could be premature. The country is not safe or stable. It might have improved by 50% but it’s not the right time to return refugees into that war-torn place. I think the refugee leaders should be allowed to go and see and return mission to understand current situation of peace in Somalia. Therefore, while life in exile is unpredictable the Somali refugees should not be forced to return to Somalia,”
– Ahmed Yusuf, a student at Bor-town secondary school/ “Community Talking Points: Somali repatriation”
“Most of the locals have guns because the two counties share porous borders with Uganda and S. Sudan where they import the firearms from,”
– a North Pokot government official said in a comment/ “Pokot militia besiege Turkana villages”
“Refugee communities tremendously thanked your advocacy role and provision to accompany and protect refugee rights in Kenya,”
– a Congolese Zone 3 refugee leader recognized/ “RCK’s Legal Awareness Forums”
“I ran out of my house due to huge smoke and I saw the house was burning from its roof,”
– Mohamed Qarnole/ “House fire killed three children”
“My habitual residence was in Gedo before I fled to Kenya in 2000. The peace in Somalia is still in the hand of the terrorist groups, thus I can’t go back now. The solution would be to make the ground safer for the returnees. People should be able to have access to social needs such as the rights to education, health care and food security. Therefore the International community should facilitate a better structured security for the returnees. You should not just decided to throw people like stones into the desert and watch them dying shamelessly. It may not add value to humanity,”
– M. Said, a social worker with LWF/ “Community Talking Points: Somali repatriation”
“We were told to build walls 3 months ago; my children are still living in the tent. The sun is burning in this plastic,”
– H. Biyamungu, who arrived in February/ “Increased camp Population”
“In Kenya refugees have rights. We advocate that their legal protection is upheld while they live in Kenya,”
– RCK local NGO Manager/ “World Refugee Day”
I arrived in Kakuma on 3rd July 1992. I feel like I have lived for 100 years in the camp. In such life, one cannot view life in other end except UNHCR. A life where one depend worse of all.
– Lueth M. a primary school teacher/ “Community Talking Point”
“I fled from Mankeen in Unity State when I heard gunshots in the dead of the night, that morning we were also bombed by military plane,”
– Nyakwoth a south Sudanese new arrival at DRA office/ “Increased Camp Population”
“At the moment there’re already two wells dug. Oil resource will be a national wide development. Bi-lateral understandings with investors are already on,”
– Mr. Wekesa Wafula – Turkana District Information Officer/ “Oil Discovery in Turkana”
“We have reported the matter but the police here were not serious with their job. We don’t trust them either,”
– An anonymous Nubian youth/ “Sudanese inter – community conflict”
“We have asked UNHCR about the lack of bumps on this road. Security patrol vehicles are always over speeding yet there not been insecurity alarm every hours of the day. It scares everyone,”
– A Somali refugee leader in Kakuma 1/ “Road Repair in Kakuma”
“We don’t keep data of natural calamities. Ten people may get drowned but we might only receive three bodies,”
– affirmed a clinical official at the IRC/ “Drowning”
“Today reminds refugees of our flight. It is very sad that we had no option in life, however, I am thankful about the support both UNHCR and Kenya government is providing,”
– Abdikadir M. a Somali refugee leader/ “World Refugee Day”
“I was freely walking from church. I was beaten by 6 Nubians. I will not be happy in my life now,”
– Yom B. a victim of conflict/ “Sudanese inter – community conflict”
“I was using motorbike. It suddenly landed me in a ditch. My mouth hit a hard ground and I lost two teeth,”
– Lami, N. a Sudanese woman at Kakuma 1 zone 3 block 6/ “Road Repair in Kakuma”
Refugee Day should be commemorated in a special way by giving refugees special gifts or special food ration during the distribution cycle rather than inviting them to dance, I hate that practice.
– Ingabine Rose a Congolese/ “Community Talking Point”
“The good result was as a result of hard work. Our pupils were also serious,”
– Chala head teacher at Lokitang School/ “A camp primary school emerged best in KCPE 2011”
In Kakuma camp a conflict between two Sudanese communities has resulted in one dead and several others seriously injured.