New developments
Registration resumed
On 8 May, the Department of Refugee Affairs (DRA) reopened registration of asylum seekers. This means that some 4,000 persons who have arrived to Dadaab since the closure of the latest two-week registration window on 30 November 2012 will now be registered and get access to services.
Security
While the security situation in the refugee camps remained fairly stable, events in North Eastern Province and acoss the border in Somalia were of concern. On 19 April, masked gunmen killed nine persons in an attack on a hotel in the provincial capital Garissa. The massacre led to a thorough security operation in Garissa town with police conducting house-to-house searches. Over 200 persons including a number of persons of concern to UNHCR were arrested during the operation. Most of the asylum seekers and refugees were released after screening and verification of their legal status. The perpetrators of the massacre were however not apprehended and there was some speculation that they were hiding in the refugee camps. In another perhaps related development on 6 May, alleged Al- Shabaab forces fought a fierce gunbattle in Dhobley town inside Somalia, attacking the police station. On 12 May, a Kenyan army truck narrowly escaped an IED explosion in Liboi, the Kenyan border town next to Dhobley. The perpetrators opened fire at the soldiers and later fled the scene.
On 10 May a police reservist was shot dead at Bosnia Market in Ifo camp. A bystander was injured as well. The following day, residents held a demonstration expressing resentment at perceived increased insecurity in the camp. The demonstration turned violent and several persons were injured. Six alleged looters were arrested but later released without charges.
On a positive note, Community Peace and Protection Teams (CPPTs) are effectively patrolling blocks in the refugee camps. Increased numbers of solar-powered street lamps have also contributed to a more secure environment especially in Ifo 2.