Kenya urged by aid groups to open idle refugee camp

Aid agencies are urging the Kenyan government to open anidle refugee camp to people who fled neighbouring Somalia in search of food, water and shelter.

Thousandsof people are pouring into northeastern Kenya from Somalia every week, forced out by drought, food scarcity and conflict, the UN refugee agency said Monday.

"I believe that we are witnessing today in the Horn of Africa, and especially in Somalia, the most tragic humanitarian disaster," said Antonio Guterres, the United Nations high commissioner for refugees.

Many of the refugees are arriving in Dadaab, Kenya, home to the largest complex of refugee camps in the world.

The Hagadera, Dagahely and Ifo camps known collectively as the Dadaab refugee camps are already overcrowded and ill-equipped to deal with the stream of people flowing into the area.

The idle camp, called Ifo II or the Ifo extension, could reportedly hold as many as 40,000 people.

Oxfam isurging the government to "heed the UN refugee agency's call" toopen the camp, which already contains water systems and latrines.

The camps in Dadaab were built 20 years ago with a view to housing up to 90,000 people forced to flee conflict in Somalia. They now shelter more than 380,000 people, Oxfam said.

"Despite the influx of new arrivals, Ifo II remains empty, as the government of Kenya has refused to allow people to move in," Oxfam said in a statement released Monday.

According to media reports, the Kenyan government has not yet officially authorized the opening of Ifo II camp. A BBC report said the Kenyan government has concerns that a new camp would encourage refugees to settle permanently.

However, the BBC report also noted that Guterres has had "constructive" talks with Kenyan Minister George Saitoti,

Oxfam said the opening of the camp would allow aid agencies to better serve refugees who are currently forced to set up on community land surrounding the sprawling network of camps.

In June,Doctors Without Borders said the opening of the Ifo extension would provide a"short-term emergency solution to decongesting the existing camps and accommodating and assisting the new arrivals."

Oxfam noted that Kenya has handled much of the burden of Somalia's refugee crisis over the years and urged other countries to provide more funds and support to Kenya as it tries to deal with the influx of people.

The World Food Programme saiddrought, high food prices and conflict could leave up to 10 million people in the Horn of Africa in need of food assistance.