In May 2016, Kenya’s government stated it would close the refugee camps in Dadaab, which make up the biggest refugee camp complex in the world. The camps are home to more than 25,000 refugees, who arrived after escaping the hunger and conflict in Somalia 25 years ago. On February 9, 2017, the High Court of Kenya released its decision that closure of the camps would be illegal.
The court’s decision comes as good news to Doctors Without Borders, which has been fighting against the obligatory return of refugees to Somalia. After surveying refugees in one of the camps last year, the organization found that 86 percent of refugees at the camp would not voluntarily return to Somalia, mostly due to the conflict and a lack of basic services, including health care.