Kenya to shut down refugee camps

Refugees at Kenya's Dadaab camp
(Image credit: Tony Karumba/AFP/Getty Images)

Kenya will close its two main refugee camps, including the world's largest, due to security concerns, the government said in a statement Friday. More than 600,000 people, most of them from Somalia, will be displaced without a clear place to go.

"The government of Kenya acknowledges that the decision will have adverse effects on the lives of refugees and therefore the international community must collectively take responsibility on humanitarian needs that will arise out of this action," the statement read.

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Julie Kliegman

Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.