{{The global refugee agency has proposed the formation of a body that will handle the repatriation of Somalia refugees from Kenya.}}
United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) boss António Guterres wants the refugees, most based at the Dadaab Camp, be returned home in phases managed by a special commission.
The Commission would include members from Kenya and Somalia authorities as well as the agency itself in what Mr Guterres argues would ensure an acceptable return of the Somalis to their homes.
“If we do these returns properly, they can be a positive factor for development in Somalia,” he said.
“On the other hand, if huge numbers of refugees go home prematurely, they could contribute to destabilisation.”
Kenya hosts more than 600,000 Somalia refugees, 400,000 of who stay in Dadaab camp in Garissa County. But the government has been demanding that they be returned home following the achievement of relative peace by AU Forces in Somalia.
In December last year, Commissioner of Refugees Badu Katelo ordered all refugees in urban centres back to camps. The government suspects some Somali refugees are sympathisers to al-Shabaab.
NMG
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