OPERATIONED RESUMED AFTER ATTACKS

OPERATIONED RESUMED AFTER ATTACKS

BY ADOW JUBAT

International Organization for Migration (IOM) has resumed transportation of Somali refugees to and from Hagardera and the newly created fourth refugees’ camp of Kambioss in North-Eastern region of Kenya to collect their families’ food ration.

The exercise which was suspended five days ago follows two insecurity incidents that occurred on 5^th, November in Dadaab and Garissa town denied the refugees from getting their relief hand outs from humanitarian agencies scared by the insecurity.

 In the first incident a Kenya police truck escorting a UN convoy stroked a landmine in Hagardera camp, but the device did not detonated. This was the first time a landmine was used against a UN convoy.

And in the second incident that occurred later in the night in Garissa town left two people dead and five others seriously injured following a grenade attack on Pentecostal church.

Horn of Africa situation report by the Organization the public communication officers Judith Ssabo said that the IOM transported 1,793 refugees in bid for them to receive their families’ food rations, which they were not receiving following the brief suspension of their transportion facilitation due to insecurity.

The IOM says it resumed the transportation of the refugees following a request by UNHCR to meet the humanitarian needs of the 10,236 refugees currently living at Kambioss camp after World Food Organization (WFP) announced it was unable to deliver food at the new camp for security concerns over recent attacks on Aid workers.

During the five days of the suspension of the transportation of refugees by the IOM, the Somali refugees mainly the new arrivals who fled to Kenya refugee camps following the historical punishing drought were forced to trekking between the two camps for over 12KMS to pick and bring back one or more of the 20-30 kilos bags of ration in sweltering sun and in uncertain security on their way.

In the report, IOM disclosed that it is in process in reviewing the security situation in the Dadaab refugee camp complex following last week’s double and successive insecurity incidents.

ENDS.