Thousands of Somali Refugees Flee Drought and War
Date: 31-Jul-06
Country: KENYA
Already facing severe drought since late 2005, further poor rains early this year combined with heavy fighting in Mogadishu that saw Islamist militia rise to power have added to an already dire humanitarian situation, aid agencies say.
"In Kenya, some 18,000 Somalis have crossed the border since January saying they were fleeing severe drought and the uncertain security situation in the Mogadishu area," the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said in a statement.
"The rate of inflow of refugees has increased recently."
Many Somalis are bracing for wider conflict as Ethiopian soldiers are said to have entered to support the interim government while Eritrea is believed to be arming the Islamists.
UNHCR said it was sending an assessment mission to Ethiopia on Sunday in response to reports that Somalis were crossing the border in unknown numbers fleeing fighting in southern Somalia.
Ethiopia now caters to 16,000 Somali refugees -- a far cry, however, from the peak of 628,000 in the early 1990s.
Kenya houses a total of 160,000 Somali refugees
