Nipate
Forum => Kenya Discussion => Topic started by: MOON Ki on May 17, 2016, 08:14:32 PM
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The police force is getting plenty of attention, but GoK is in the news in other ways. The Economist already noted the blackmail, and today the New York Times today has an Op-Ed:
Refugees Shouldn’t Be Bargaining Chips
But Kenya’s proposal is not about the needs of the refugees — it is a demand for ransom. Kenya has threatened to close the camps twice already, citing security concerns following terrorist attacks on the Westgate mall in Nairobi in 2013 and Garissa University in 2015. In response, Secretary of State John Kerry promised $45 million in extra aid for Kenya — aid that is unlikely to go anywhere near the camps, which are entirely paid for by the United Nations.
Having cried wolf before, Kenya has had to work harder to gain international attention. To prove its seriousness, last week it disbanded its Department of Refugee Affairs and revoked prima facie refugee status for Somalis seeking asylum, which ensures that future arrivals will be undocumented and at immediate risk of deportation. Kenya has also relentlessly scapegoated refugees for terrorism, undeterred by the lack of any evidence linking the camps to attacks.
The truth is more cynical still. Kenyan forces that had invaded Somalia to combat the Shabab, extremists affiliated with Al Qaeda, were last year revealed to be collaborating with the very same group in smuggling charcoal and sugar to the tune of up to $400 million. In response, the Somali government passed a motion calling for the withdrawal of Kenyan troops from Somalia. Going on the offensive against refugees means international energy will be focused on persuading Kenya not to close the refugee camps, rather than on making it behave itself in Somalia.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/17/opinion/refugees-shouldnt-be-bargaining-chips.html
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Turkey extorted money from Europe, so why not Kenya?
Its been 25+ years since Somalia broke apart, just use these refugees to get money.
Can you imagine how many have benefited? Transporting stuff to NE made pple wealthy beyond imagination.
UN gives millions to keep them there.
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Turkey extorted money from Europe, so why not Kenya?
Its been 25+ years since Somalia broke apart, just use these refugees to get money.
Can you imagine how many have benefited? Transporting stuff to NE made pple wealthy beyond imagination.
UN gives millions to keep them there.
Yes, Turkey appears to have been Kenya's "inspiration" in this round. But there's a huge difference in the extortion: Turkey threatens to let the refugees head North, which is where they would like to go. Kenya threatens to return its refugees to Somalia, a place nobody is particularly keen on; this causes them unnecessary anguish, given that they do not all see that it's a game.
They certainly have been very "profitable" to Kenyans, as has been the general mess in Somalia.
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EU cut troop funding in Somalia by 25%, so there has to be a way to get it back, right?