Refugee Camps or Cities? The Socio-economic Dynamics of the Dadaab and Kakuma Camps in Northern Kenya

Abstract

Many refugee camps last longer than basic transient settlements. Their size, their population density, their layout, their concentration of infrastructures, their socio-occupational profile and the trading activities they have developed give them urban features. Yet their durability depends on other factors, including the relationship between refugees and the indigenous population, and the ecological environment, i.e. access to local resources. This article argues that a political backing is crucial since the host country can facilitate or forbid refugee settlements. In any case, a complete withdrawal or a sudden contraction of humanitarian aid would not automatically mean the closure of camps: whether because self-sustainability would allow virtual cities to emerge as market towns, or because refugees would refuse to come back home and would become clandestine migrants.

Mapping land enclosures and vegetation cover changes in the surroundings of Kenya's Dadaab refugee camps with very high resolution satellite imagery

“…They also reveal that the degradation of many green belt plots is due to their limited size in relation to the rapidly increasing livestock population around the camps as well as to a gradual decrease in maintenance due to lower external support. The first is in line with information reported by De Montclos and Kagwanja () and confirmed by Enghoff et al (). Reasons for a possible decreasing support of green belts are not known.…”

“…The first is in line with information reported by De Montclos and Kagwanja (2000) and confirmed by Enghoff et al (2010). Reasons for a possible decreasing support of green belts are not known.…”

“…In general, all results reflect the increasing demand for fodder linked to the rise in animal numbers, to the central role of livestock and animal products trade for the host community and to the progressive sedentarisation of pastoralists around the camps. The investment in fencing, although often leading to conflicts among residents and hosting population and despite little external support to the pastoralist system (De Montclos & Kagwanja, ), appears clearly successful in developing economic opportunities and interests in the region, such as the production of forage to feed the growing demand for animal products in the area and beyond. Milk consumption and extended livestock trade are traditional features of the Somali pastoral system, and the Dadaab camp provides in such settings, an opportunity for further investment, commercialisation, and labour force at the same time.…”

Winners and Losers among a Refugee-Hosting Population

“…Despite their traumatic experiences and their poor health conditions these refugees have productive capacities as well as assets (human capital, livestock, etc). And they use networks to get access to such assets (de Montclos and Kagwanja, 2000;Werker, 2007). Therefore, refugees are likely to exercise some important economic functions and have a significant impact on their hosts' livelihoods.…”

Home-making during protracted exile: Diverse responses of refugee families in the face of remigration

“…Whilst being a refugee involves dislocation from a familiar place and life, it can offer a "plurality of vision" because of new life experiences in exile (Korac, 2009, p. 7). The experiences of forced migration may sometimes open up avenues to socio-economic opportunities such as access to better living conditions, education, or building new business connections (De Montclos & Kagwanja, 2000;Jacobsen, 2005). For example, refugees often pursue educational opportunities available to them during exile as their primary goal (see Al-Ali & Koser, 2002;McSpadden, 2004).…”