A/HRC/33/64
IX. Refugees
74.
In early May 2016, Kenya announced the closure of the Dadaab refugee camp,
which has hosted thousands of Somalia refugees since the early 1990s. The decision was
motivated by the increasing insecurity in Kenya and allegations that the camp had become a
base for recruitment and planning of Al-Shabaab attacks on Kenyan territory. Following the
announcement, on 13 May 2016 the Independent Expert held consultations with
representatives of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) in Geneva and informed the authorities of both Somalia and Kenya of the need
to honour the tripartite agreement, concluded on 10 November 2013 between Somalia,
Kenya and UNHCR, which outlines a framework for the repatriation of Somali refugees in
safety and dignity.
75.
During their meeting, the representatives of UNHCR informed the Independent
Expert that, since December 2013, it had facilitated the repatriation of some 7,000 refugees.
UNHCR was optimistic that repatriations would be conducted within the framework of the
tripartite agreement.
X. The right to food and a livelihood
76.
In 2016, the El Niño phenomenon has had an impact on parts of Somalia. The
country has in the past suffered from drought, which has affected the availability of food
reserves and supply. Reportedly, in some parts of Somaliland, one in 10 people is
experiencing food insecurity. In Puntland, between 60 and 70 per cent of pastoral
households have migrated in search of water and pasture land. According to the Rapid
Results Drought Response Plan of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations (FAO), people are for various reasons suffering from loss of food and sources of
income, which in turn is reducing their purchasing power and increasing debt. Some will be
forced to sell their livestock, hence affecting their recovery and resilience capacity. FAO
has appealed for $17 million to help more than 1 million people to cope with food shortages
and other needs.3
77.
Heavy rains in the Ethiopian highlands caused flooding in Beletweyne, displacing
some 70,000 people, of whom 36,000 were forced to settle in a camp, while others moved
to neighbouring villages. Lifesaving sanitation and hygiene supplies, including mobile
clinics, were provided. In total, about 4.7 million people in Somalia are in need of
humanitarian assistance; 950,000 currently suffer from food insecurity. Overall, the 2016
humanitarian response plan of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
requires $885 million, of which it has received only $288 million.4
XI. Financial flows and humanitarian assistance
78.
Following anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism legislation prohibiting
money transfers to Somalia from Australia, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland and the United States of America, the Independent Expert and the Special
Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, the Chair of the Working Group on the
issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises and
3
4
16
FAO Rapid Results Drought Response Plan, Somaliland and Puntland, 31 March 2016.
Reliefweb, Somalia Humanitarian Snapshot (7 June 2016), Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs.
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