Jesuit Refugee Service Kenya has added its voice to that of the nation’s Bishops in calling on the Kenyan government to keep the Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps open.

In a statement issued on Monday, JRS-Kenya “reaffirms the appeal from the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops and recommends that the Government of Kenya exert maximum forethought and caution in this particular time of uncertainty, wisely considering the legal obligations imposed by international law and the Organization of African Unity (OAU) Convention.”

The statement urges the Kenyan government to bear in mind the principle of non-refoulment (guaranteeing “that no one should be returned to a country where they would face torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and other irreparable harm), as well as “the practical limitations” of closing the camps, and the “moral obligation to take care of the most vulnerable in society and to pursue the common good.”

The Jesuit Refugee Service’s statement echoes the appeal earlier this month of the Kenyan Bishops, which acknowledged Kenya’s efforts to host and protect refugees and asylum seekers. “This has been a good gesture to these people who felt they are a lot safer in Kenya,” they say. However, the Bishops continue, “it is highly unfortunate and regrettable that the intention by the Kenyan authorities to close the Dadaab and Kakuma Refugee camps within a short timeframe comes at a time that these people need help.”

There are more than 410,000 people in the two camps, including women, children, and the elderly. The camps host forcibly displaced people from Somalia, South Sudan, the Great Lakes region in Africa, and the Tigray region in Ethiopia.

Calling for a comprehensive approach to the “complex refugee situation” in the country, the Kenyan Bishops Conference recommends the government shelve the “unfortunate idea” of closing the camps, and instead “increase security and any other support to the refugees as well as the bodies that work directly with them in ensuring they receive their basic needs.”

The appeal concludes by calling on the government to “treat all refugees with care and concern especially during this period of the Covid-19 pandemic when humanity is faced with serious economic and psychological challenges.” By Tommaso Pozzi, Catholic Herald

The Democratic Republic of Congo will start its Covid-19 vaccination campaign on April 19 with 1.7 million AstraZeneca doses it received from the COVAX global vaccines sharing scheme after delaying the rollout for more than a month.

Congo received the vaccines on March 2 and was expected to begin the inoculation campaign almost immediately but delayed rollout after several European countries suspended use of the shots. 

A government statement late on Tuesday said a task force had determined that the AstraZeneca vaccines already available in the country presented no risks to the population.

Congo has reported 28,542 infections and 745 coronavirus-related deaths since the pandemic began.  Reuters

Burundi refugees have suffered violations such as arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances, allegedly carried out by the Tanzanian police and intelligence services in cooperation with counterparts in their homeland, they reported. 

“In addition to the strict encampment policy imposed on them by the Government of Tanzania, Burundian refugees and asylum-seekers now live in fear of being abducted in the middle of the night by Tanzanian security forces and taken to an unknown location or being forcefully returned to Burundi,” the experts said in a statement. 

Hundreds of thousands of people fled Burundi for neighbouring countries following deadly clashes surrounding the 2015 presidential election.  While the worst of the violence has eased, the situation remains fragile, according to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR.  

Posing as refugees 

Nearly half of those who escaped, or around 150,000 people, are in Tanzania. The rights experts report that Burundian political opponents have allegedly been tracked among refugees and asylum-seekers there.  

Burundian intelligence agents, posing as refugees within the camps, are identifying specific individuals who are later arrested by Tanzanian security forces.  

“The Government of Burundi must stop its repression against its citizens including those seeking international protection in Tanzania,” they said. 

Forced disappearance, ‘voluntary return’ 

Burundian refugees have confirmed being taken by Tanzanian police and subjected to enforced disappearance and torture, before being forced to return home or to sign up for “voluntary return”.   

Some also were interrogated for their supposed affiliation with armed groups, or about their activities in the camps, and even asked for money in order to be released. 

“We are extremely alarmed by reports that some Burundian refugees have been killed after having been abducted by Tanzanian security forces”, the experts said, adding that fear has driven many refugees to return home. 

“It is extremely discouraging that since the Government announced in August 2020 that an investigation into the disappearances was underway no results have been made public yet,” the statement concluded. “The Government of Tanzania is aware of the situation and must take all necessary measures to immediately stop and remedy the violations.”  

UN experts’ role 

The 12 experts who issued the statement are mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to monitor specific thematic issues, including enforced or voluntary disappearances, arbitrary detention, and torture or other degrading punishment.   

They serve in their individual capacity and are neither UN staff, nor are they paid by the Organization. - UNITED NATIONS