On Monday, March 3, refugee protests at the Kakuma Refugee Camp descended into violence, leaving several people gravely injured.
Police efforts to disperse angry refugees who were adamant on heading towards the UNHCR offices in Kakuma Refugee Camp caused the protests, which continued into their second week, to take an unfortunate turn.
Refugees have been holding nonviolent demonstrations for a number of days, calling for the restoration of basic supplies that were discontinued because of financial constraints. Some of the refugees, however, were dissatisfied with the lack of action and marched to the UNHCR offices.
Obtaining images and videos show terrible scenes, with several protesters slumped on the ground and others accusing police of employing excessive force.
Police ran fights with the refugees throughout the most of Monday morning, using tear gas to try to scatter the angry crowd.
Tens of migrants are unable to obtain food and other necessities in the Kakuma Refugee Camp, where living circumstances have gotten worse, according to locals.
The World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had previously warned that operational scalebacks could result from budgetary limitations.
UNHCR’s financial difficulties have also been ascribed to recent decreases in humanitarian aid, which are mostly the result of US funding cuts. One of the main donors to Kenya’s refugee programs was the United States.
In addition to causing widespread hunger across the camp, the lack of essential supplies like food has also raised insecurity.
Notably, Sudanese nationals make up a sizable fraction of the refugees at the Kakuma Refugee Camp. Over 148,000 South Sudanese refugees—one of the greatest refugee populations in the world—live in the camp and the Kalobeyei community.
Another civil war broke out in 2013, two years after South Sudan gained its independence, resulting in armed conflict and a downturn in the country’s economy.
Millions were compelled to escape to neighboring nations such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
