Somali Refugees

Nearly 5,000 Somali refugees from Kenya's Dadaab camps have returned home since December last year, the UN refugee agency has said. About 4,500 more have signed up to go back in the coming months, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said.

"They also receive a cash grant, food and basic domestic items such as sleeping mats, mosquito nets, solar lanterns, hygiene supplies and kitchen utensils to help them start a new life," UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards told a press briefing in Geneva, Switzerland, on Saturday.

The agency said in an update, security and socio-economic conditions in many parts of Somalia are not right for large-scale returns of refugees. However, some are eager to leave life in exile behind and help rebuild their country, it said.

"To end one of the world's most complex refugee situations it is vital to make sure that the small number of returns can be successful and contribute to a more peaceful and stable Somalia," Edwards said. He added that more support and investment in the country's social and economic infrastructure is urgently needed. (Source: allafrica.com)