Gideon Maundu | NATION Villagers wait for a vehicle to take them out of Tarasaa in Tana Delta District following clashes in the area last month.
Posted Thursday, January 3 2013 at 22:00
IN SUMMARY
- Thousands more were made homeless by natural disasters and development projects, says report
More than 118,000 people were displaced in ethnic and political violence in the country last year, says a new report.
And tens of thousands more were displaced as a result of natural disasters and development projects, states the Norwegian Refugee Council’s (NRC) Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre.
“Although a large number of Kenyans displaced during the post-election violence of 2007 and 2008 are still struggling to find durable solutions, the level of service provision and donor attention is rapidly declining,” the NRC’s latest report released in Nairobi on Wednesday says.
Security challenges
The country is grappling with major security issues ahead of the March 4 General Election.
For instance, Kenyans face threats of terrorist attacks perpetuated by Al-Shabaab as part of their revenge on Kenya’s role in their being rooted out of their stronghold in Somalia.
According to the report, many Kenyans assume that the emergency has ended although there are still humanitarian needs for the IDPs.
“There is a clear gap between short-term emergency measures and the comprehensive medium and long-term initiatives that internally displaced people need to end their displacement and restart their lives,” it said.
The report notes that although the current displacements have mostly affected pastoralists in arid and semi-arid areas, it warns that conflict and violence are on the rise and that more displacements may follow the March 4 general election if reconciliation efforts and other strategies to deter violence are not put in place.
“Current displacements, mainly affecting pastoralists in arid and semi-arid areas, also need to be acknowledged as significant needs and protection concerns remain. The lack of reliable data on IDPs and their location, including those who have returned to their places of origin or resettled elsewhere, remains a major challenge,” it said.
Humanitarian organisations operating in the country said last month they had put in contingency measures place ahead of the general elections.
According to the Kenya Red Cross, UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), other UN agencies, the government and non-governmental organisations had held talks aimed at forging peace ahead of the elections.
“The contingency planning process looks at potential scenarios with a view to outlining key assumptions and response options,” the agency said in its humanitarian bulletin released in Nairobi on December 15, last year.
Stakeholder consultations have been held in Nairobi, Mombasa, Eldoret, Nakuru, Garissa and Isiolo, says OCHA. (Xinhua)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment