(SomaliNet) As a massive influx of Somali refugees fleeing a brutal insurgency across the border stretches the facilities to breaking point, tension is rising at the sprawling Dadaab refugee camp complex in north-west Kenya, say United Nations officials. Sources say the complex, made up of three separate camps stretching over 50 square kilometres, now hosts 215 000 refugees - the vast majority of them Somalis. It was set up 16 years ago to hold only 90 000. Meanwhile, local residents in Kenya, who have long been unhappy with the impact of the camp on the community, are losing patience with the seemingly endless stream of refugees. They have been staging demonstrations and have handed over an official letter of protest to the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR). "We have been working with the community, but they have a feeling that much more needs to be done," Emmanuel Nyabera, the UNHCR's information officer in Kenya, said on Thursday. "We are looking at the document and are hoping we can have a meeting with the government before the weekend."
Nyabera said that an area had been identified for a fourth camp and that discussions on final approval were under way. However, locals are unlikely to be appeased by an increase in the capacity of the camp. The desert region - in recent years hit by both drought and floods - is far from being an economic powerhouse. Residents in the region want to see more jobs being created for locals and are concerned about the environmental impact of the camp.
An aid worker based in Dadaab said locals were demonstrating daily and demanding that the refugees leave. There had also been reports of stoning of UN vehicles. Almost a million Somalis have fled the brutal insurgency, which seems to be getting worse. Most of those fleeing the violence in the Somali capital Mogadishu remain displaced within Somalia, but the flow to Kenya remains constant despite the border being officially closed.