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NAIROBI, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The UN refugee agency said Wednesday it had repatriated some 57,329 Somali refugees in Kenya since the return exercise begun in December 2014.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in its bi-weekly update released in Nairobi that some 3,970 refugees were supported to return to their home in Somalia between March 1 to 15.
The UN agency said out of the figure, some 17,359 refugees who have been living at the world's largest human settlement in northeast Kenya were supported in 2017 alone.
"Road convoys were organized from Dadaab to Dhobley respectively on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays," it said.
According to UNHCR, flights to Mogadishu have resumed on Feb. 27 after a long suspension due to security restrictions in Mogadishu since December 2016.
The move comes as Kenya is gearing up to hosting a regional summit in Nairobi on Saturday to marshal a comprehensive regional approach to deliver durable solutions for Somali refugees, while promoting sustainable reintegration of returnees in Somalia.
More than two million Somalis have been displaced in one of the world's most protracted humanitarian crises that have now entered its third decade.
An estimated 1.1 million people are internally displaced (IDPs) within Somalia and nearly 900,000 are refugees in the region.
Experts say continuing political and security stabilization progress in Somalia, along with growing pressures in hosting countries, makes this a critical moment to renew efforts to find durable solutions for Somali refugees. Enditem
