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| Rt. Rev. Paul Darmanin |
The Catholic Bishop of Garissa Diocese, Rt. Rev. Paul Darmanin has warned the government of the establishment of an Islamic state in Northern Kenya if care is not taken of relocating the Daadab refugees back to Somalia.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Kenyan Bishops Ad Limina visit to the Vatican, Bishop Darmanin said that the relocation will only become useful if it is accompanied by deliberate efforts by both the National and County Governments to allocate more resources to the region and also if there is a guarantee that refugees will continue to receive humanitarian assistance after relocation.
The Bishop’s stand comes after some leaders of the Kenya government proposed to relocate the camp back to Somalia, saying it has become the springboard for terror attacks in the country.
Bishop Darmanin said that he cannot rule out the link between the camp and terrorism. He said, “Most of the Somali refugees inside the camp still maintained close links with relatives, friends and clansmen across the border in Somalia.”
“The nature of our society is to protect family and friend. The people in the camps cannot report dangerous criminals among them because they are members of their families,” he said adding that “The Government must also consider the delicate relationship between the Kenyan Somali community and Somali refugees.”
The bishop, whose jurisdiction covers Dadaab refugee camp, said that in reality many refugees have already settled down and are more well off and comfortable than even career civil servants working in the area. “Just an example; many Kenyan Somalis have been registered in the refugee camp and go there regularly to get food rations and other disbursements, this is dangerous,” he said.
Dadaab - at one time the largest refugee camp in the world - was opened in 1991 after the collapse of the Somali Government. The camp has attracted attention following the April 2 2015 terror attack on Garissa University College that left 148 people dead and scores of others injured.
By National Mirror, Waumini Communication KCCB