At least one person has reportedly died, and several others injured on Monday when violent protests erupted at the Kakuma refugee camp in northwestern Kenya, authorities and humanitarian officials said, following mounting tensions over sharp reductions in food aid.
Refugees set fire to part of a World Food Programme (WFP) storage facility in the Kalobeyei settlement, according to Kenya’s Department of Refugee Services (DRS).
Police responded with tear gas and live ammunition after demonstrators reportedly stormed aid distribution points.
“We can confirm that one person died during the incident, and investigations are ongoing,” a DRS official told AEA on condition of anonymity.
Kakuma, home to an estimated 300,000 refugees from South Sudan, Somalia, Uganda, and Burundi, has seen rising discontent since the World Food Programme halved rations earlier this year, citing a steep drop in international donor funding.
“The rations have become unbearable,” said John Muyumba, a youth leader in the camp.
“Many families go days without enough food.”
Two police officers reportedly got injured during the clashes. Kenyan police officials declined to comment on the number of casualties but confirmed that “an incident involving unrest” occurred at the facility.
The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) and WFP have warned for months that budget shortfalls were threatening to destabilize humanitarian operations in Kenya’s major refugee settlements.
A WFP spokesperson described the situation as “deeply concerning” and said assessments were ongoing.
Kenya’s Interior Ministry has yet to release an official statement. Aid agencies are calling for calm and urging donor governments to urgently restore funding.
The incident is the latest in a series of disruptions across East Africa as refugee communities bear the brunt of global aid reallocation and conflict-driven displacement surges.
Credit – BBC
