Threats to the peace situation and aid operations in Kenya’s Dadaab refugee complex remain as the string of violence the camp has seen in the past months continue into the new year.
Two leaders of the refugee-led community peace and security teams, or CPST, were fatally shot on Dec. 29 and Jan. 1, according to Lutheran World Foundation, which supports the teams with training. LWF said the incident has prompted the group to relocate its camp-based staff and review the security details of CPST members.
This fatal shooting of the refugee leaders follows a spate of bombing in December that forced a temporary halt in aid distribution within the camp, which has seen a consistent surge in violence and security-related concerns since the abduction of two Medecins Sans Frontieres staff members there in October 2011. The abduction has prompted the United Nations and its partners to halt aid activities inside the camp temporarily, except for life-saving assistance. Some aid groups also pulled out their workers.
The Dadaab refugee camp is the world’s largest refugee settlement and houses more than 460,000 people, mostly Somalis fleeing violence and hunger in their homeland.
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