Violent protests broke out at one of Kenya's largest refugee camps on Monday, humanitarian sources said, with unconfirmed reports of at least one death, following months of increased tensions over aid cuts.
"One person is dead, two police officers are injured," the Department of Refugee Services (DRS) told news agencies, warning that pressure was mounting over the struggling aid system.
The refugees also fought with the police.
"They have burned the world food station," he added, referring to the UN's World Food Programme (WFP).
Humanitarian groups have grappled for months with rising tensions in the Kakuma refugee camp as rations have been reduced following massive cuts to aid from the United States and other donors.
The camp in northern Kenya is the east African nation's second-largest after Dadaab, hosting roughly 300,000 people, mostly from South Sudan, Somalia, Uganda and Burundi.
Police spokesperson Michael Muchiri confirmed that officers were present after "some disturbances". He also said that the protests were due to the lack of access to resources.
"The recent decision by the US Government to cut down on programmes related to USAID for instance is starting to have an effect on the refugee situation," he added.
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Escalation
One man, who works near the camp and asked for anonymity, told AFP that roughly 100 people had gathered to protest over the changes and that there had been multiple casualties.
He added that many were upset over Kenya's plans to turn the camp into a permanent settlement that refugees fear may lead to them losing some of their benefits.
John Thomas Muyumba, founder of a Kakuma youth group, told AFP that many were also concerned about changes to rationing. He explained that a new system was being implemented in which only the worst-off would receive assistance.
Many refugees "felt discriminated against", he said, adding that they were telling him: "'Aren't we all refugees? Don't we all deserve the same support?'"
Muyumba said a protest over the changes had escalated.
"Stones were thrown, and one store was set on fire. Police intervened and opened fire," he said, with one man killed.
The WFP confirmed that "a fire broke out at its storage facility" in the Kakuma camp's Kalobeyei Settlement.
"WFP and the local authorities are looking into the circumstances surrounding this incident and assessing any damage or losses," it added, without giving further details.
Lack of funds
The United States has slashed billions of dollars from global relief efforts since the beginning of the year. The contributions once made up to half of all public humanitarian funding and over a fifth of the UN’s budget.
Other donors have been cutting aid as well, like the United Kingdom.
'Brutal' funding cuts push UN to slash humanitarian operations
A recent study on Kakuma refugee camps, led by a research team from the University of Oxford and the University of Antwerp, showed what happened when aid was previously cut and observed the impact of a 20 percent aid cut that occurred in 2023.
The study reveals that cuts to humanitarian assistance had dramatic impacts on hunger and psychological distress, with cascading effects on local credit systems and prices of goods.
The 20 percent cut in humanitarian aid had cascading effects, affecting not hunger, but local credit systems, prices, and well-being, the study reveals.
Hunger got worse, psychological distress increased.
(with AFP)
