The Kenyan government’s decision coincided with US secretary of state John Kerry’s two-day visit to Nairobi this week. Kerry held talks with the Kenyan government regarding the situation in Somalia, besides the escalating crisis in South Sudan. President Uhuru Kenyatta also announced that his country’s troops will begin withdrawing from Somalia in 2018.

During his visit, Kerry announced the US government’s decision toprovide more than $146 million in humanitarian assistance to support the victims of droughts in Kenya and Somalia. Some of the funding will be donated to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to support the refugees and the implementation of the voluntary repatriation process. The UN agency had in July appealed for $115.4 million funding to support the voluntary return and integration program.

The Kenyan government has threatened to close Dadaab numerous times in the past, calling the camp a “breeding ground” for terrorists. With more than 600,000 refugees, Kenya is among the top ten refugee hosting countries in the world, ...

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