2010-11 Winter Quarterly (November-December-January)
To all KANERE readers here and abroad:
In the life of journals KANERE turned its second year in December 2010, and its writers continue to stand strong in advocating for refugees. This quarterly winter issue marks the last news dispatches from the year 2010 and early 2011.
We send our wishes for a pleasant 2011 to all our readers, supporters and criticizers, wherever you may be. We would like to send note of thanks to all our readers and supporters throughout the last year and to encourage you to continue with us in the same spirit this year.
While life in the camp has seen little change over the past three months, the Sudanese Referendum marked a defining moment for Sudan. It is a real test for many Southerners worried about their relatives who live on both sides of the North and South. Everyone is thinking: unity or break away? Kakuma was cited as a major voting centre in the Rift Valley Province.
Numerous incidents of violence punctuated the holiday season as refugees were reported dead on the outskirts of camp or in their own homes. In early January 2011, a fire erupted in the refugee community of Kakuma One, sending several refugees to the hospital and destroying properties valued at hundreds of thousands Kenya shillings.
Human right organizations have released alarming reports on protracted refugee situations, calling attention to serious harassment and rights violations of refugees and asylum seekers in their countries of asylum. According to an Amnesty International report released in December 2010, the harassment of Somali refugees by Kenyan police and soldiers has reached intolerable levels.
The weather in Kakuma and its surrounding environs during the past three months remained dry and sunny characterized by cold nights.
As we speak in a louder voice, we appeal for better protection of refugees and asylum seekers in Kenya and urge an end to encampment policy! We wish a peaceful environment in Southern Sudan.
Signed,
KANERE Editor