Kenya: Information on the location of Utange refugee camp and who operates it
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 September 1993 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | KEN15224 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Kenya: Information on the location of Utange refugee camp and who operates it, 1 September 1993, KEN15224, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab2f8c.html [accessed 31 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to a representative of the U.S Committee for Refugee Relief in Washington, DC, the Utange refugee camp is located about five kilometres west of the main port of Mombassa (7 Sept. 1993). There are approximately 40,000 refugees in the Utange camp, primarily Somalis and a smaller group of Ethiopians (Ibid.). A representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Ottawa reported that the Utange refugee camp is located on the Indian Ocean coast and is under UNHCR operation (7 Sept. 1993). Under the terms of an agreement with the UNHCR, however, the organizations primarily responsible for food and water distribution and health care are UNICEF, World Food Program (WFP), Pharmaciens sans frontières (PSF), International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC), and the Kenyan Red Cross Society (KRCS) (Ibid.).
A professor of African history at Rutgers University in New Jersey states that there is fighting between rival Somali factions in the Utange refugee camp (8 Sept. 1993). The professor added that food supplies for the camp are often looted as they arrive (Ibid.).
Please find attached several media reports on the situation in the Utange refugee camp.
This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Professor of African history, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ. 8 September 1993. Telephone interview.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Ottawa. 7 September 1993. Telephone interview with representative.
U.S Committee for Refugee Relief, Washington, DC. 7 September 1993. Telephone interview with representative.
Attachments
BBC Summary of World Broadcasts. 30 March 1992. "Kenyan News Agency Says Refugee Situation Has Been Described as `Critical'." (NEXIS)
Orlando Sentinel Tribune. 13 September 1993. Jane Stevens. "Refuge for Many, Salvation for Few: Relief Agencies Struggle to Build Cities in the Desert for Millions Turned Out By Famine and War in the Horn of Africa." (NEXIS)
Reuters. 25 August 1993. BC Cycle. "Somali Refugees Injured in Clashes With Kenyans." (NEXIS)
The Times. 1 August 1992. Sam Kiley. "Somali Exiles Find Haven in Bush." (NEXIS)
