KENYA: KEY DONORS STRATEGIZE ABOUT SOMALI REFUGEE

C O N F I D E N T I A L GENEVA 001094 FOR NAIROBI REFCOORD E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/18/2018 TAGS: PREF PREL SO KE PGOV EAID SUBJECT: KENYA: KEY DONORS STRATEGIZE ABOUT SOMALI REFUGEE SITUATION REF: GENEVA 1074 Classified By: Peter F. Mulrean, RMA Counselor; Reasons 1.4 b and d. ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: In a December 18 meeting hosted at the U.S. Mission, key donor government representatives discussed the current challenges facing Somali refugees in Kenya. They agreed to seek a briefing from United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Deputy High Commissioner after his planned January 2009 mission to Kenya; to consider possible joint actions; and to suggest Kenya as a potential site for the next UNHCR Donor Mission (to be held in February or March 2009). Separately, UNHCR Deputy Director for Africa briefed us on current contingency planning for a sudden inflow of Somalis into Kenya following the withdrawal of Ethiopian forces from Somalia. END SUMMARY. -------------- Donor Core Group Meeting -------------- ¶2. (SBU) RMA Counselor hosted a meeting of key donor representatives on December 18 to raise awareness about the challenges facing Somali refugees in Kenya and examine the possibilities for joint action. Meeting participants included Fredrik Kirst (Sweden),Emina Tudakovic (Canada), Yvonne Ruijters (Netherlands),Anne Viken (Norway),RMA Attache, and RMA Program Assistant. Afterwards, RMA Counselor reviewed the discussion with German Counselor Peter Beck and the EC Counselor Kim Eling, who were not able to attend the meeting. ¶3. (SBU) RMA Counselor began by briefing meeting participants on the extremely overcrowded and poor camp conditions in the Dadaab refugee camps, the continuing influx of 6,000 to 8,000 Somalis per month, the refusal of the Government of Kenya (GOK) to re-open the Liboi Transit Center to process new arrivals, the potential for an even larger influx in the coming months, the political hurdles to acquiring land for new camps, and the options to open a camp in Wajir and relocate refugees from Dadaab to Kakuma camp. He also outlined his discussion with the GOK Commissioner for Refugees last week (reftel). Recalling the key "Good Humanitarian Donorship" principle that donors should not only provide financial support but also diplomatic support to humanitarian actors, RMA Counselor suggested that donors could seek ways to provide political support to UNHCR's efforts vis-a-vis the GOK, particularly following the planned visit of Deputy High Commissioner Craig Johnstone to Kenya in January. ¶4. (C) There was general agreement on the current state of affairs and the timeliness of bringing such a "core group" together. Participants believed their capitals would be prepared to consider both individual and joint actions to address the troubling situation. Ruijters opined that the time was getting ripe for a joint demarche on the GOK. She suggested donors appeal to the GOK's security concerns. Drawing on points from the Dutch embassy in Nairobi, she noted concern that extremist elements from Al Shabab were infiltrating the refugee camps. If no arrangements are made to increase capacity at Dadaab, a large influx of refugees - including potentially extremist elements - might head for Nairobi instead, she said. Participants agreed to seek a briefing from Johnstone following his January visit to discuss next steps. They also agreed to suggest Kenya as a potential site for the next UNHCR Donor Mission (to be held in February or March 2009) as another means of raising the profile of the issue, as well as donor-country concerns. ¶5. (SBU) As for programming, Kirst emphasized the need for increased Refugee Status Determinations (RSDs),and reported Sweden's end-of-year contribution on $2.5 million to UNHCR's Kenya Operation would hopefully help improve RSDs. Ruijters urged donors to refrain from earmarking their funds to be used only inside Somalia, and suggested that the UN Country Team in Kenya could work together to address the Kenyan authorities' desire for projects targeting the local population surrounding the Dadaab camps. There was consensus about the need for UNHCR to clarify its plans to issue another appeal for Somalia-related funding before the end of ¶2008. -------------- UNHCR Contingency Planning -------------- ¶6. (SBU) RMA Counselor spoke to UNHCR Deputy Director for Africa Mengesha Kebede later on December 18 to inform him of the core group meeting. Kebede was very appreciative of the initiative and thought it would be good to reassemble the group for a briefing after the Johnstone visit. No date has been set yet, though Johnstone is thinking of the second week in January. Kebede said that Johnstone would try to contact Amb. Ranneberger in the coming days to discuss the visit. Kebede reported that he had just come from a meeting to discuss contingency planning for Kenya. UNHCR is very concerned by reports that Ethiopia might close its border to Somalia following the withdrawal of troops were very troubling. If internal violence ensues in the wake of the withdrawal, this would likely mean that the most of the refugees would head to Kenya. To complicate matters further, stockpiles originally identified in contingency planning for Kenya are no longer available because they are being drawn down to deal with crises in DRC and Kivu. Therefore, UNHCR is working with its logistics operation in Dubai to identify emergency items for a potential Kenya crisis. Finally, Kebede reported that UNHCR would issue a supplemental budget appeal for $70 million representing the full range of needs surrounding Somali refugees in Kenya, to include new camps, upgrading existing camps, and additional activities. TICHENOR