Somali refugees flee to Kenya
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Play VideoThe worst drought in over 60 year in Somali has caused refugees to flee their country. Refugee camps in Kenya have received almost 400 thousand people. CCTV reporter Allan Chror takes a closer look.
With his wife and five children Mohamed Abdi takes a break from the blistering African sun. They will sit here under the tree until when its cooler to continue with their journey. This is no ordinary journey they are Somali refugees, Mohamed and his family are fleeing vicious fighting between the government and Islamic insurgents coupled by severe food shortages and recurrent drought that has decimated livestock. This been the worst drought in over 60 year that the United Nations has now it declared a famine. They come here seeking the safety of their neighbouring country Kenya.
Somali refugee Mohamed Abdi said, we normally walk in the morning and evening we cant move at this time the sun is too hot and I have small children so I have to move slowly, and at night we set up fire and I have to stay watch because this area is full of lions and hyenas .
They will finally end up here the Dadaab refugee camps in north eastern Kenya, now the worlds largest such site, with almos! t 400,00 0 displaced people in three camps originally designed for 90,000. Here they find relative safety and humanitarian aid, but they also find overcrowding, water shortages and increased exposure to contagious diseases.
Dobliey a small border town in southern Somalia, a land where it is hard to distinguish between an ordinary citizen and a law enforcement officer, everybody seem to wielding some type of artillery. The rule of law does exist but its hard to tell who is in charge. We did however meet the man who runs the town Mr Abdi Abas he Commands the Somali transition government forces in dobliey he tells us the Al-shabaab are no longer a problem the only challenge they have is the drought and handling the high numbers of refugees going though his town and into Kenya.
He said, They are no longer here all the armed groups that terrorised this area we have pushed them away, even the Al shabaab they are now over 80 miles inwards. All we need here now is food and water.
With Medicine still on the tables and sheets still on the beds The Dobliey general hospitals walls are full of bullet hole, it is run down and abandon! ed it se em the last people to leave this place left in a quite a bit of a hurry, This hospital used to serve all the residents of the town before the al shabaab militant came in to town. But now with the al shabaab militants gone the town is in dire need of doctors and medical supplies.
More than 70,000 refugees have crossed the border from Somalia into Kenya this year alone with an average of 10,000 refugees a month, but according to the United Nations high commission for refugees the situation is now getting even worse. A similar flow of Somali refugees has also entered Ethiopia about 55,000 in the last few months, quarter of who are severely malnourished.
Related stories
- UN calls on Europe to provide aid for Somali famine 2011-07-22
- Somali children die en route to refugee camp 2011-07-12
- Kenya shelters Somali regugees 2011-06-20
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