Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-05-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy regarding Somali refugees in Kenya and the presence of Kenyan armed forces in Somalia.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Government recognises the significant burden that the Government of Kenya faces in housing a large number of Somali refugees. We encourage the Government of Kenya to maintain its global leadership role on this issue as well as its international obligations. We, and the international community, support the continued dialogue with the Government of Somalia and the Tripartite agreement which provides a legal framework for the voluntary repatriation of Somali refugees.
We strongly support Kenyan troops deployed to Somalia as part of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). AMISOM has made important progress against Al Shabaab since 2007, who continue to pose a significant terrorist threat in Somali and the region. We greatly value the contribution made by Kenya and the other troop contributing countries, and recognise the sacrifices that the Kenyan Defence Forces are making.
