UN chief calls for swift resolution of Somali crisis

UN has called for faster resolution of the Somali crisis to save Kenya, the country hosting thousands of refugees from the Horn of Africa nation, from various challenges, said a statement issued on Sunday. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon who met Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto in Japan also said the world body is aware of the challenges Kenya was facing in ensuring peace and stability in Somalia. "When I visited Dadaab refugee camp last year, I witnessed a very sad situation where 600,000 people are crowded in one place. That population alone is more than that of some countries in the world," Ban said according to a statement issued in Nairobi. Citing a number of grenade attacks in since late 2011, Kenyan authorities contended that the relocation of Somali refugees from Kenya will improve country's national security and lead to the return of Somali refugees to Somalia. Currently the country hosts some 630,000 refugees, of whom more than half a million are from neighboring Somalia. Kenyan officials say that any potential influx of new arrivals will put further pressure on the existing precarious situation. The UN refugee agency and other aid agencies working in Somalia have however cautioned the government against repatriation of the refugees, saying such exercise betrays the spirit, places lives at risk and contravenes the principles of non-refoulement or not forced return that are contained in the country's new constitution, its Refugee Act and in international refugee law. During the meeting in Japan, Ban said Kenya's push for resettlement of more than 600,000 refugees who live in camps along northern part of the country should be supported by the international community. "I could feel the huge challenge Kenya was facing and I sympathized with the President at that time because of instability in Somalia," he said, vowing UN supports the resettlement of the refugees who have been living in refugee camps in Kenya. "I urge you (Kenya) to focus on helping Somalia in the efforts to entrench peace, democracy and governance," he said. Kenya which hosted protracted negotiations that culminated in the formation of the transitional federal government of Somalia said the refugee situation continues to pose security threats to Nairobi and the region apart from the humanitarian crisis. During the meeting, Ruto expressed Kenya's commitment to the peace process in Somalia so that it could concentrate on its internal issues. He said Nairobi has a porous border with no government on the Somalia side, warning that Kenya risked by taking her soldiers to Somalia because it was becoming untenable to watch militants from there. "We are witnessing retaliatory attacks from Al-Shabaab and Al- Qaida but as a government we are firm and will ensure safety of the country and security of the people," Ruto said. He said the East African nation was banking on the support of the UN and the international community in a bid to ensure peace prevails in Somalia. "We need to assist the government of Somalia to stabilize so that it can have functional structures and move away from the challenges it currently faces," he said. He added that there is need to resolve the refugee crisis as a matter of priority so as to ensure that the Horn of Africa has lasting peace. The deputy president said a stable government in Mogadishu would enable Kenya to concentrate on its development agenda and enable tourism to flourish. Ruto said that a summit on Somalia will be held in September in Nairobi to map out the way forward on the resettlement of refugees. "What we want is to have a safe return of the Somalis to their country and we would appreciate UN support on this. We are engaged in talks with UNHCR on the resettlement issue," Ruto said.