Resolution on the Dadaab refugee camp
The European Parliament adopted by 489 votes to 31, with 67 abstentions, a resolution on the Dadaab refugee camp (Kenya).
Members recalled that the Dadaab refugee complex was established in 1991 as a temporary solution for people seeking refuge and fleeing persecution, violence and instability in the East African region, particularly those fleeing the civil war in Somalia. This complex now comprises 5 different camps of different peoples and covers an area of 50 square kilometres. Members also recalled that the complex was designed to accommodate about 90,000 people and that it currently hosts about 260,000, of whom 95 per cent are from Somalia and 60 per cent are under 18 years of age.
Members also recalled that Kenya is currently hosting some 500,000 refugees, whose number continues to increase due to growing insecurity in the region, particularly in South Sudan. They also pointed out that, in addition to the continuing refugee crisis in the region, Eastern Africa is experiencing severe drought, leading to an increased risk of famine in areas such as South Sudan where 1 million people are already facing this threat.
In this context, Members welcomed Kenya's action for refugees but stressed that the current situation cannot go on and that it will be necessary for the governments of the region and the international community as a whole, including the EU, to mobilise in an effective and coordinated manner to find a viable solution to the issue of Somali refugees.
Members specifically called on the EU Member States to increase their involvement in the resettlement of Dadaab refugees and to consider long-term development as the main objective in the region. They called for the EU to play a mediating role in helping to resolve the economic, political, environmental and security problems that are the root causes of radicalisation and terrorism and the source of the refugee crisis.
Members welcomed the adoption of the Nairobi Global and Regional Action Plan, which provides for the gradual closure of camps to enable refugees to gain access to employment and services in their host countries but underlined, for what concerns Somalia, that voluntary returns should be promoted.
Emergency Trust Fund for Africa: supporting the advent of the Fund to eradicate the root causes of irregular migration and internal displacement in the East African region, they called on the Member States to honour their commitments to this fund. Members considered that the Fund should be used to help people return from Dadaab camp, giving priority not only to economic development but also to projects by local communities in the region, specifically aimed at improving the quality, equity and universality of access to basic services and training for the development of local skills and responding to the needs of vulnerable communities, including minorities.
In addition, the Fund should give greater priority to promoting sustainable development in the region, such as pumping fresh water.
Food security and relocation: Members called on the EU and international partners to ensure food security in Somalia in order to avoid imminent famine. They also called on the Union to ensure that special attention is given to vulnerable population groups in the context of relocation programmes in the region.
Members also stressed the need to improve resilience and boost the development of the host communities concerned in the Greater Dadaab region of Kenya by ensuring that the progressive dismantling of the complex and public services provided in the city does not deprive these communities of their means of subsistence. In particular, it is necessary to think in the longer term and to take into account the specific needs of this fragile region.
Reduction of US aid to international agencies: Members deplored the US government's decision to reduce the country's contribution to UN agencies by $ 640 million, and insisted that the Union's voluntary contributions to the UN’s funds and agencies, which accounts for half of their total budget, are essential to the maintenance of peace and security in the world.