UNHCR to consider voluntary repatriations from Kenya

UNHCR is to look at the possibility of Somali refugees' voluntary return from camps in Kenya to their own country, the agency said on Tuesday, after Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi claimed they were contributing to crime and insecurity. "We appreciate the government's concern for security in northeastern Kenya," a UNHCR spokeswoman told IRIN. "We are going to be looking into ways of supporting the government's efforts in maintaining security, and also look at the possibilities for the voluntary return for refugees to safe parts of Somalia." Kenya is hosting 108,000 Somali refugees in three camps in northeast Kenya, which is mainly inhabited by ethnic Somalis. President Moi called on the UN to repatriate Somali refugees during a tour of the northeast, saying they "abused their local hosts by smuggling firearms and contributing to insecurity", Kenya's 'Daily Nation' reported on Tuesday.