Special Igad Summit to discuss Somalia refugee crisis

Refugees board buses for Somalia at Dadaab camp after the Kenya government announced plans to close the camp. PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE |  NATION MEDIA GROUP

By THE EASTAFRICAN REPORTER

In Summary

• The Nairobi meeting brings together member states of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the international community and other stakeholders.
• More than two million Somalis have been displaced in one of the world’s most protracted humanitarian crises that have now entered its third decade. An estimated 1.1 million people are internally displaced (IDPs) within Somalia and nearly 900,000 are refugees in the region.

The Somalia refugee crisis is set for discussion on March 25, at a special summit of regional Heads of State and Government.

The meeting, to be held in Nairobi, hopes to marshal a comprehensive regional approach to deliver lasting solutions for the Somali refugees, including a plan on how to reintegrate returnees.

It brings together member states of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the international community and other stakeholders.

More than two million Somalis have been displaced in one of the world’s most protracted humanitarian crises that have now entered its third decade. An estimated 1.1 million people are internally displaced (IDPs) within Somalia and nearly 900,000 are refugees in the region.

The summit will be preceded by a special session of the IGAD ministerial committee on Friday March 24, bringing together ministers responsible for interior, security and refugee affairs from the Horn of Africa.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),continuing political and security stabilisation progress in Somalia, along with growing pressures in hosting countries, makes this a critical moment to renew efforts to find durable solutions for Somali refugees.