A/HRC/13/65 page 10 30. The regionalization and internationalization of the Somali conflict with the introduction of Al-Qaida elements and the impact of piracy-related activities in Puntland could be a threat to international peace and security. Somalia for Yemen is becoming like Pakistan for Afghanistan. C. Meetings with refugees in Dadaab, Kenya 31. The independent expert’s talks with newly arrived refugees from Somalia at the Dadaab refugee camps in Kenya were, as before, his main source of first-hand information on the situation in Mogadishu and the south-central region. His other source was newly arriving IDPs in Bossaso, Puntland. 32. During his previous visits to the Dadaab camps, refugees had expressed a rather positive view of hard-line Islamists. During this visit, the expert was struck by the anger refugees felt towards such Islamists. Women were particularly vocal in opposing their extreme interpretation of sharia law, corporal punishments – including floggings and amputations – and the requirement for women to cover their faces fully. They felt such an interpretation was in conflict with Somali culture and the Islam to which they were accustomed. Therefore, they did not at present see any alternative to the Transitional Federal Government. If Al-Shabaab took control of Mogadishu and the south-central region, none of the IDPs would return to those areas. Many had fled the region to protect their children from forcible recruitment by Islamists. They warned that such recruitment could spread to the refugee camps. 33. The refugees with whom the independent expert spoke called for greater military and financial support for the Government from the international community. They urged the expert to seek support for the Government to create job opportunities in Somalia, which would relieve the situation for the population. 34. The refugees also called for higher education opportunities for young boys and girls who had completed their secondary schooling in the camps. In this respect, the independent expert noted with appreciation that, in line with his previous recommendation, the World University Service of Canada had provided 28 scholarships to Somali refugees in 2009. Similarly, Egypt and Malaysia had provided the Government with a number of scholarships for Somali students. 35. As in the past, the refugees once again emphasized the importance of being involved in the peace process. The independent expert was heartened to hear Somali refugees claiming that, while their country was experiencing war and violence, they were practising democracy and respect for human rights in the camps, as representatives were elected from within communities and all decisions were taken after free and fair discussions prior to their endorsement by UNHCR. 36. According to UNHCR reports, there are presently some 310,000 Somali refugees in Kenya (another 163,000 in Yemen, and about 100,000 in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Uganda, among others). New arrivals in Kenya had continued unabated, although the numbers were not as high as one year previously. In December 2009, some 3,329 refugees arrived in Kenya, while the corresponding figure in January 2009 was 8,894 (2, 134 arrived in Yemen in December 2009). The single greatest reason given by the refugees for seeking refuge abroad was insecurity.