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Dadaab: Agreement on refugee repatriation should not affect aid delivery, says MSF
GENEVA – Four in five refugees in the camps at Dadaab do not want to return to Somalia given the current climate of insecurity, finds an MSF assessment
An agreement to begin the voluntary repatriation of Somalis from Kenya could potentially be a positive step, but must not happen at the expense of providing aid to refugees, says the international medical organisation Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders.
The agreement, signed on 10 November by the UN, Kenya and Somalia, outlines the practical and legal procedures for the voluntary return of hundreds of thousands of refugees to Somalia, many of whom were born in Kenya’s vast refugee camps or have lived there for up to 22 years. While reintegrating refugees back into Somalia could be part of a real and sustainable solution for Somali refugees, says MSF, maintaining assistance to the refugees needs to be high on the agenda of all stakeholders.
“Nobody chooses a life as a refugee, and most refugees struggle to get by on what the government and aid agencies provide,” says Dr Jean-Clément Cabrol, MSF Director of Operations. “Any decision to return should be made willingly and gladly, and not be forced on them by a cut in aid.”
The practical implementation of the three-way agreement raises a number of concerns, according to MSF. “Voluntary repatriation implies that people are fully aware of the situation inside Somalia,” says Cabrol. MSF’s 22 years of experience working in the country suggest that, given the high level of insecurity in many parts of Somalia, and the large numbers of people who are still displaced within its borders, safe conditions for the return of refugees are not guaranteed.
“Security and dignity must be ensured for all returnees,” says Cabrol. ”The Somali government and its partners would need to guarantee that returnees have rights and receive assistance, while aid must continue to be provided in Kenya’s refugee camps to those who don’t want to go back to Somalia.”
An assessment conducted by MSF amongst patients in its medical facilities in Dadaab’s Dagahaley camp in August 2013 found that four in five people would choose not to return to Somalia, given the current situation. Their reluctance to leave is despite poor living conditions in the camps. Nearly half of the respondents in Dagahaley said they have no means of keeping their homes dry in the rainy season; one in ten have no access to latrines; and one in four admitted they do not feel safe. “These findings reveal how minimal care provision is,” says Cabrol.
Policies by donors to reduce funds are having concrete effects on the refugees in Dadaab: for example, funding shortages have resulted in a recent 20 percent cut in food rations, leaving refugees receiving less than the minimum daily calorie intake recommended by the World Health Organization.
It is vital that the levels of assistance provided to refugees in Kenya are maintained, says Cabrol. “Reducing assistance in the camps could be seen as pressure on the refugees to go back to Somalia, and this is unacceptable.”
The future of the refugees in Dadaab has been under discussion for decades, and there are no easy answers. However, possible alternatives exist, including persuading the international community to allow more refugees to resettle abroad; relocating the refugees to a safer area in camps of a more manageable size; and developing opportunities for refugees to become more self-reliant.
“These are vulnerable people who have already suffered too much,” says Cabrol. “Wherever they live, their safety, health and dignity must be guaranteed.”
MSF has been working in Dadaab for the past 20 years and is currently the only provider of medical care in Dagahaley camp. MSF teams carry out more than 9,000 outpatient medical consultations each month and admit 600 patients from the refugee and host communities to Dagahaley hospital.
Embattled Nigerian pastor and founder of SPAC Nation, Tobi Adegboyega, has defended his opulent lifestyle, claiming it serves to inspire young people rather than flaunt wealth.
This statement comes amid a UK Immigration Upper Tribunal ruling ordering his deportation over visa violations.
Adegboyega, 44, faced accusations of overstaying his visitor visa, which expired after he arrived in the UK in 2005.
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He had applied to remain in the country on human rights grounds. The tribunal, however, ruled against him, citing his failure to regularize his status.
The pastor’s luxurious lifestyle, including designer clothing and expensive cars, was a focal point of the case.
Addressing the tribunal, Adegboyega stated that his lifestyle is fully funded by his wife, Mary Olubukola Alade, who earns £100,000 annually at AON.
He said, “I live with my partner, Mary Olubukola Alade, who earns £100,000 per year working for AON. I spend my time working for the church, for which I am unpaid. I am entirely supported by Mary. I have a first-class law degree from Nigeria, but I have ‘sacrificed’ my legal career to help those who cannot help themselves.”
Defending his appearance, Adegboyega emphasized the importance of projecting success to his young congregation.
The court noted, “For instance, people have pointed to the fact that he wears designer clothing and drives expensive cars. He was adamant that all of his personal possessions had been paid for by Mary.
“He believes it is important for him to dress the way that he does because he needs to inspire these young people – they need to understand that there are legitimate ways of making money, for instance through entrepreneurship.”
Despite the ruling, Adegboyega dismissed the deportation concerns as insignificant.
“I’m right here at home, no cause for alarm. Naturally, I will dismiss things that have to do with retrogression; every Nigerian should be proud of me. Living in the UK, a city that is well known for pulling people down, I have survived all sorts, so the matter that they are propagating is the smallest matter,” he said.
He further expressed confidence in his resilience. “No panic, I love London city, it is my city, and nobody can do anything. Of all the people of colour you know here – pastors and leaders – I have survived everything. I’m here, I am at home, nobody should panic for me.
“I succeeded well in this country despite all challenges, and I’m in the league of people you look up to. I have survived that well; nothing has changed, nothing will change,” he added.
Amid the growing controversy surrounding the detention of human rights lawyer Dele Farotimi, renowned Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Aare Afe Babalola has publicly addressed the defamation allegations leveled against Farotimi.
The legal action stems from claims made in Farotimi’s book, Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System, which Babalola asserts contains false and defamatory statements about him and his law firm, Afe Babalola & Co.
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In a petition dated November 19 and submitted to the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, Adeniran Akinwale, Babalola accused Farotimi of making “criminally defamatory” statements about him, his law firm, and two senior lawyers at his firm, Olu Daramola SAN and Ola Faro.
The defamatory remarks are tied to the Supreme Court case Major Muritala Gbadamosi Eletu & Ors v. H.R.H. Oba Tijani Akinloye & Ors.
Babalola revealed that the allegations came to light when one of his lawyers purchased Farotimi’s book while traveling through Murtala Muhammed Airport.
After reading the book, the lawyer immediately brought its contents to Babalola’s attention.
Other members of his firm reportedly did the same, prompting the senior lawyer to take legal action.
In his petition, Babalola pointed to specific passages in Farotimi’s book that accused him of corruption and unethical conduct. The petition reads:
“I write to report the criminal defamation of myself, my law firm Afe Babalola & Co., and my lawyers, Olu Daramola SAN and Ola Faro, by one Dele Farotimi in his book titled ‘Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System’, published by Dele Farotimi Publishers, in respect of Suit No. SC/146/2005: Major Muritala Gbadamosi Eletu & Ors v. H.R.H. Oba Tijani Akinloye & Ors.
“Sometime on 2/11/2024, one of our lawyers, while traveling through Murtala Muhammed Airport, bought a book by Dele Farotimi titled ‘Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System’. He read the book and immediately brought it to my attention. Many of my lawyers also bought the book and read it.”
“The defamatory statements are as follows:
- That Aare Afe Babalola corrupted the Supreme Court to procure a fraudulent judgment in the service of his client.
- That Aare Afe Babalola, Olu Daramola, Olu Faro, and the law offices of Afe Babalola & Co. (Emmanuel Chambers) compromised the Supreme Court and the remaining semblance of integrity it might have had, when they went back to the Supreme Court and got the Court to swim in the sewer of corruption and shameful self-abnegation.”
Babalola strongly denies the allegations, claiming that they are false and damaging to both his personal reputation and the integrity of the Nigerian judiciary.
Nigerian author and activist Dele Farotimi’s book, Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System, has surged to bestseller status on Amazon amid a legal battle with prominent lawyer and businessman, Afe Babalola.
The controversy surrounding the book has captivated public attention, driving both online and offline demand.
The book, which critiques systemic corruption in Nigeria’s judiciary and highlights alleged misconduct by key legal figures, saw modest sales following its release in July 2024.
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However, Farotimi’s arrest on Tuesday, following a petition filed by the 93-year-old Babalola, triggered a wave of public curiosity.
By Thursday evening, it had climbed to the top of Amazon’s bestseller rankings, according to checks by Vanguard. Bookstores across Nigeria also reported a significant uptick in demand.
Biztellers reports that Farotimi was detained in Lagos by armed police officers and transported to Ado Ekiti, about 300 kilometers northeast of the city, where Babalola is based.
The senior lawyer alleged that the book accused him of compromising Nigeria’s judiciary—a claim that has sparked heated debates about freedom of speech and accountability in the legal profession.
On Wednesday, Farotimi was arraigned in an Ekiti court, where the judge ordered his remand pending a bail hearing scheduled for December 10.
Farotimi’s legal team has vowed to contest the charges, framing the case as an attack on intellectual freedom.
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