Repatriation of refugees not a punishment DP Ruto

Repatriation of refugees not a punishment  DP Ruto

Repatriation of refugees should not be viewed as a punishment but as a means to allow people to return and reconstruct their countries, this is according to Deputy President William Ruto.

The Deputy President told a gathering at the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, Turkey that the move equally helps reduce pressure on fragile ecological systems saying that this was one of the reasons Kenya decided to close the Dadaab Refugee Camp.

“Repatriation of refugees should not be perceived as punishment but should be seen in the broader context of giving them a chance to go and reconstruct their country,” he said.

The Deputy President said the vagaries of climate change is aggravated by environmental degradation caused by among others refugees in the fragile ecological system of North Eastern Region.

Ruto explained that the refugee settlement had impacted on the subterranean geological system which is manifested by a drop in the water table from 50 to 400 meters near Dadaab Refugee camp.

On Monday, the Deputy President said the move by Kenya to close the Dadaab Refugee Camp is final and cannot be reversed.

Ruto told the international community at the World Humanitarian Summit attended by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon that those willing to support the refugees should send their finances to Somalia to help in resettling them.

He said that the camp is a security threat, a haven for terrorism and conduit of contraband goods as well as a danger to the environment

Ruto said that the closure of the camp is in the best interest of refugees within the framework of the Tripartite Agreement between the Government of Kenya, Federal Government of Somalia and UNHCR.

Tags:

kenya ruto william ruto refugees Deputy President William Ruto daadab repatriation of refugees

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