183 refugees returned to Kakuma camp after Germany halts resettlement

A total of 183 refugees from Kakuma who were to travel to Germany as part of resettlement plans have been returned to the refugee camps after the German government paused all new resettlement submissions until further notice.

The refugees, who were in the city for three weeks waiting for their departure, protested the move, saying they had sold all their properties in anticipation of greener pastures in Europe.

Citizen TV visited YMCA hostels on Wednesday morning, where the 183 refugees waited for their buses to be ferried back to the refugee camps after their resettlement to Germany was cut short.

The group, from over five countries, had been issued with Visas and travel tickets. For three weeks, they stayed ready to start a new life, only for things to change.

"We were told that there is an election going on in Germany, so our flights were suspended. That was from the 27th. We are now being told to go back to the camps. Many are afraid of going back because they have faced threats. We are here, we want you to help us,” said a refugee, Clement Makonde.

The refugees, who are already grappling with challenges at the camps, including shrinking donor support—which has seen the end of the cash support programme and reduced food rations—now appeal to Germany to reconsider its decision and give them a chance.

"We have lost everything. Our children have left school, they are not going to school because we expected to go to Germany. We are asking for support,” Makonde added.

Lawyer Fatuma Adan said: "None of them wants to go back to Kakuma. Anyway, even you, if you’re given an option, you don’t want to go to Kakuma after getting a Visa and you have travel documents. That is a way out, and that is what most of them hoped for. So, it is really unfortunate they are being taken back to Kakuma against their wish. UNHCR has to intervene."

A statement from the UN refugee agency on the suspension of Germany's resettlement departures states that Germany advised UNHCR to pause all new resettlement submissions.

UNHCR, which is advocating for the resumption of the programme, says the case remains active unless officially closed.

The agency has asked the refugees not to sell their shelters, quit jobs, or take loans based on unconfirmed travel, and that they will help in replacing refugee ID documents, return them to their original shelters, and give basic household items.