Somalia /
Kenyan Government’s forcible return of Somali asylum seekers.
NAIROBI, Kenya, January 28, 2009/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Daily press briefing by the office of the spokesperson for the UN secretary-general
The UN refugee agency is deeply concerned by the Kenyan Government’s forcible return of Somali asylum seekers. Kenyan authorities, as recently as last week, forced out three Somali nationals who had crossed the north-eastern border in search of a safe haven. The three had been duly processed by UNHCR, which recommended that their case be handled by Kenyan authorities. They were among 29 Somali asylum seekers whose car was fired upon by Kenyan border patrol officers after the driver reportedly ignored the officers’ order to stop. UNHCR says the fate of the other 26 passengers remains unclear.
Noting that similar cases of forcible return of refugees were brought to its attention throughout 2008, UNHCR calls on the Kenya Government to fully respect the principle of non-refoulement enshrined in the 1951 Geneva Convention.
SOURCE : United Nations – Office of the Spokesperson of the Secretary-General
