About 17,000 more refugees have said they are willing to voluntarily go back to Somalia.
Kenya, Somalia and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) signed a tripartite agreement on November 10, 2013 for the voluntary repatriation of Somali refugees living in Kenya.
Speaking at his Dadaab sub-office, UNHCR’s senior protection coordinator Denis Alma Kuindje said more than 75,000 refugees have been gone back to Somalia under the programme.
Mr Kuindje said UNHCR is only assisting refugees who are willing to go back home and not promoting the repatriation.
“Since the process started, the number of refugees in the camps has been going down due to spontaneous return of refugees to Somalia. It’s important to note that UNHCR is only facilitating safe return to areas considered safe,” he said.
Mr Kuindje said return to Baidoa has been suspended due to severe drought and cholera. Refugees are returning to their home towns of Mogadishu, Dinsor and Kismayu.
The official acknowledged that some refugees have returned to the refugee camps after being facilitated to go back to Somalia.
He said they are not taking the matter lightly and would like to find out why they came back.
“We collect information from those who come back to the camps and even the new arrivals; there are areas that still have security concerns and lack of social amenities,” he said.