The Impact of Refugee Repatriation on National Security: a Case Study of Daddad Refugee Camp (2005-2016)

Abstract

This study explored the impact of refugee on national security with a special focus to the refugees in Dadaab camp. The study focuses on establishing the link between the repatriation of refugees and the general impact on national security. The main objective of the research study was to establish the nexus between repatriation refugees in Dadaab Camp and national security; to evaluate the threat posed by Dadaab Camp refugees to national 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 the national 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 with the main focus being between the years 2005-2016. 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 national as well as the regional security impact, the threat posed by refugees to national security, the threat posed by refugees to regional and the role of repatriating refugees in the peace building process. The third part covers the national security impact of refugees’ repatriation in which the general state of insecurity in country, regional impact within the East African region and the role played by the refugee phenomenon in the prevailing insecurity conditions in the country together with the insecurity within the refugees’ camps and the host community area are addressed. The chapter also covers refugee generated insecurity and the drivers of both national and regional insecurity. The fourth chapter is a presentation of a critical analysis of the nexus between refugee repatriation and the impact on national security with a special attention to the proposed repatriation of Somali refugees. Chapter five highlights findings of the study. The findings show that repatriation of refugees has an insignificant impact on national security. It shows that when refugees are repatriated, they 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 national 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 a national 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 national 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.