Refugee, 62, killed in assault at Ifo, Garissa

by CYRUS OMBATI
Friday March 17, 2023

Ifo 2 refugee camp in Dadaab, Garissa, on November 23, 2016.
Image: JACK OWUOR

A refugee has been killed at Ifo camp in Garissa county.

Police recognized the deceased as 62-year-old Mahat Mohamed.

Mahat was reportedly attacked by a fellow refugee who was regarded to him on March 10.

The motive for the assault, which happened at Block A1, has not been established.

Mahat died at a neighborhood hospital 4 days later, police suggested.

The suspect fled the scene and police are trying to find him.

The camp hosts greater than 50,000 refugees, a number of whom are being reintegrated and repatriated to international locations that conform to take them in.

Kenya, below President Uhuru Kenyatta, had been pushing for the closure of the Dadaab camps, citing terror considerations.

But the brand new administration suggested the plans are off the desk.

There are about 600,000 refugees residing in Kenya with 300,000 in Dadaab and the remainder in Kakuma.

Refugees from Somalia produce up the biggest group at greater than 300,000 when compared with these from South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Uganda.

The authorities plans to combine a number of them into neighborhood communities.

Last month, Immigration and Citizen Servics PS Julius Bitok suggested refugees need to lead dignified lives away from camps the place entry to primary wants and providers is restrained.

“The issue of refugees requires a lot of caution. We are moving away from that hostile approach and soon, those willing to remain in Kenya will be reintegrated into communities,” he suggested.

The integration of refugees is contained in a Marshall Plan that’s inside the conclusive levels of completion.

According to the PS, voluntary expatriation will probably be allowed for refugees eager to return to their motherland or transfer elsewhere.

Bitok suggested right profiling of the refugees will probably be carried out to weed out people who would possibly pose safety threats.

By settling them amongst communities, the refugees will give you the chance to entry employment chances and earn citizenship, he suggested.

Bitok suggested as much as 90,000 are at the moment in city areas working in different sectors.

Edited by Josephine M. Mayuya