Written question asked by Mark Simmonds (Conservative) on Thursday, 7 July 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 11 July 2005. It was answered by Hilary Benn (Labour) on Wednesday, 20 July 2005 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Somalia

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment has been made of the number of displaced Somalis crossing the border into Kenya to escape fighting; and whether his Department is providing humanitarian assistance.

Answer: DFID has not made any independent assessment of the number of displaced Somalis crossing the border into Kenya, however the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that there are 232,333 refugees in Kenya that require humanitarian support, of whom just over 151,000 are Somalis.We contributed £400,000 last year to support UNHCR's ongoing efforts to promote the voluntary repatriation of 23,000 Somali refugees in exile in Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Yemen and elsewhere. We are also currently considering providing further funding to the UNHCR through the 2005 UN Consolidated Appeals Process for Somalia.In the last two months, an estimated 15,000 Somalis people have crossed the border into Mandera district, Kenya following fighting between two rival clans. There have been some initial relief distributions from the UN and local NGOs. The Kenyan authorities, with local elders are meeting in the next few weeks to try and address the causes of the conflict. The UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs is coordinating a response to the situation. DFID's office in Kenya is closely monitoring the situation.

Secondary information