Scores of people were injured and property destroyed on Friday when hundreds of Kenyans stormed a refugee camp in northeast Kenya to protest at job discrimination, the United Nations (UN) refugee agency said on Friday.
Residents rioted at Dadaab camp against the International Organisation for Immigration (IOM), accusing it of discriminating against Kenyans in favour of foreigners when recruiting clerks to oversee the transfer of refugees between camps, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Emmanuel Nyabera said.
Nyabera said protesters stormed the camp and blocked major roads, then pelted IOM vehicles with stones, smashing windscreens and sending officials scampering for safety.
”The riots did not affect UNHCR operations in the area because police moved in and quelled the mayhem,” Nyabera said.
”We will continue with our work as usual.”
IOM handles the logistics of refugee transfer, while UNHCR oversees the overall relocation of 12 000 ethnic Bantu refugees from Dadaab to Kakuma in the northwest, where they will await possible resettlement in the United States. – Sapa-AFP