Repatriation of Refugees and Regional Security: the Case of Dadaab Refugee Camp

Abstract

This study explored repatriation of refugees and regional security with a special focus to the refugees in Dadaab camp. The study focuses on establishing the link between repatriation of refugees and regional security. The specific objectives of the study are to establish the nexus between repatriation refugees in Dadaab Camp and regional security; to evaluate the threat posed by Dadaab Camp refugees to regional security and also to identify the role of repatriating Somalia refugees in the peace building process. In the effort to examine the link between refugee repatriation and regional security situation, a comparative case-study approach was used. The study employed a qualitative descriptive research method. The method adopted was deemed suitable because it allows for utilisation of both primary and secondary data so as to get reliable sources and to address the objective of the study. To get a refugee context, Dadaab refugee camp was used as a case study. The first part of the study gives a background of repatriation effort as a peace seeking strategy. The second part of the study highlights a review of previous studies relating to the nexus between repatriation refugees and regional security, the threat posed by refugees to regional security, the threat posed by refugees to regional and the role of repatriating refugees in the peace building process. The third part covers the regional security situations in selected regional segments in Africa in which the general state of insecurity in Africa, regional insecurity within the African continent and the role played by the refugee phenomenon in the prevailing insecurity conditions in the region together with the insecurity within the four main sub regions are addressed. The chapter also covers refugee generated insecurity and the drivers of regional insecurity. The fourth chapter is a presentation of a critical analysis of the nexus between refugee repatriation and regional security with a special attention to the proposed repatriation of Somali refugees. The chapter focuses on examining the impact of refugee repatriation to regional security. This chapter highlights the study findings. The study findings show that repatriation of refugees has an insignificant role in regional security. It shows that when refugees are repatriated, the reintegrate with the communities and engage in civic education that promote peace. It further revealed that returnees engage in economic activities that promote the involvement of conflicting communities and thereby reduce incidences of continued conflict. The study concludes that regional security may be negatively affected by presence of Refugees especially where the migrants have not been able to harmoniously relate with their hosts or where conditions are too deplorable to push them into criminal tendencies. The study also concludes that the likelihood of radicalization or even recruitment into terror groups depends so much on the measures put in place to manage and monitor refugees‘ activities. The Refugee problem is not an African one but is global in nature as witnessed by the current crisis actually taking place in Europe. It has emerged that security is a multi-faceted concept that has many factors other than the state that get actively involved in refugee generated insecurity management within the refugee regime. The study recommends that future studies should focus on deepening the analysis of restoration and regional security. Thus, it should achieve this by creating a theoretical thesis about the connection between repatriation and reconciliation. The study also recommends that there should be a reasonable opening position for developing the logical thought of grassroots peace building and conciliation.