A Somali Refugee's Arrival in America and the Situation Today

 The Washington Post posted on 15 December 2025 a commentary titled "I Came from Somalia at 19.  Let Me Tell You about the America I Met" by Mohamed Osman Mohamed.  

This is the account of a Somali who arrived in the United States in 2010 from the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya.  Now the executive director of the Nation of Poets in Minneapolis, he describes the welcome and help he received upon arrival and how that situation has changed so negatively today.

Growing Up in a Somali Refugee Camp

 The Washington Post published on 19 June 2024 an article titled "Futures on Hold, Dreams of Escape" by Malin Fezehai and Rael Ombuor.

In 1991, UNHCR established a refugee camp at Dadaab in neighboring Kenya for Somalis fleeing the conflict between government forces and the al-Shabaab terrorist organization.  Today, Dadaab is still 97 percent Somali and houses 380,000 people.  The refugees once dreamed of returning to a peaceful Somalia; now they dream of being resettled in North America or Australia by UNHCR.  One of the few tickets out of Dadaab is superior performance in high school and admission to a university  

Somali Refugees: Have Debt Will Travel

The Washington Post published on 15 December 2017 an article titled "'What Other Choice Do I Have?' How Debt-ridden Refugees Are Being Forced To Return To a War Zone" by Kevin Sieff.

The article describes the dilemma faced by Somali refugees at the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya who are in debt to local shopkeepers. UNHCR is offering a stipend to encourage refugees to return to Somalia. Many of those taking advantage of the stipend are doing so to pay off their debts even when it means returning to a conflict zone.

What To Do with Somali Refugees in Kenya

The Mogadishu-based Heritage Institute for Policy Studies published in December 2017 a report titled "Durable Solutions for Somali Refugees: A Case Study of the Involuntary Repatriation of Dadaab Refugees" by Mohamud Yusuf Garre.

For several years, Kenyan authorities have been trying to shut down the large Somali refugee camp at Dadaab, calling it a breeding ground for terrorists. In February 2017, a High Court judge in Kenya blocked the government's plan to close Dadaab. Nevertheless, since 2014 some 73,000 Somali refugees have been repatriated to Kismaayo, Baydhabo, and Mogadishu. The report argues that Kenya should seriously consider integration for those long-term refugees who have gone through the Kenyan school system and are capable of prospering in Kenya. For those who do not meet this standard, repatriation must be voluntary, safe and dignified.

Travelling Through Al-Shabaab-controlled Territory in Somalia

The New York Times published on 21 October 2017 a first person account titled "My Parents' Country, In the Grip of the Shabab" by Asad Hussein, a young Somali born in the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya.

This is a fascinating account by a young Somali who recently traveled through al-Shabaab-controlled territory in Somalia.

Somalia: Male Power, Insecurity, and Inequality

The Rift Valley Institute published in March 2017 a briefing paper titled "Somalia: A State of Male Power, Insecurity and Inequality" by Judith Gardner and Judy El-Bushra.

The study identified kinship after 1991 as an organizing force for state-building and security in Somalia. Male domination of government and politics has become more entrenched. Accountability is between the individual male leaders and his close kinsmen who promoted him on the expectation of personal gain, creating a new dominant form of masculinity based on wealth and control of resources.

Somali Refugee at Dadaab Camp Tries to Enter US in Era of Trump

The Washington Post published on 4 February 2017 a story titled "Inside the World's Largest Refugee Camp, One Man's Quest to Explain Donald Trump to Those Now Banned from America" by Kevin Sieff.

This is the account of one Somali family that has been registered for years at the Dadaab camp in Kenya to enter the United States under refugee status. Another 14,500 are on the wait list at Dadaab.

Forced Return of Somali Refugees from Kenya to Somalia

Refugees International published on 4 November 2016 a report titled "Refugee Returns from Kenya to Somalia: 'This Is About Fear. . .Not About Choice'" by Mark Yarnell.

The report argues that the Kenyan government's threat to close the Dadaab refugee camp by the end of November would not only endanger the lives of several hundred thousand Somali refugees but has already caused irreparable harm and damage.

Repatriation of Somalis from Kenya to Somalia

Foreign Policy published on 26 September 2016 an article titled "The U.N. Is Sending Thousands of Refugees Back Into a War Zone" by Ty McCormick.

The author questions why the UN High Commission for Refugees is aiding an effort to force Somali refugees in Kenya to return to a war zone in Somalia.

Somali Refugees in Kenya

The Institute for Defense Analyses published on 1 September 2016 an article titled "Somali Refugees in Dadaab: There to Stay?" by Sarah Graveline. Noting that Kenya earlier announced it would expel all Somali refugees from the giant Dadaab camp, the author concludes that Kenya is ultimately unlikely to do so.

World's Largest Refugee Camp in Kenya Trying to Shut Down

Foreign Policy published on 21 July 2016 an article titled "The World's Largest Refugee Camp Is Invited to Please Shut Down" by Ty McCormick. The Kenyan government says it will clear its country of Somali refugees before the end of this year. But it's not saying how.

Kenya's Refugee Dilemma

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) published on 17 May 2016 a commentary titled "Kenya's Dangerous, Vague Alchemy--Refugees and Terror" by Steve Morrison, senior vice president at CSIS.

Kenya announced on 6 May 2016 its intention to close the Dadaab refugee camp, which hosts 350,000 mostly Somali refugees. Morrison, who recently visited Kenya, comments on the reasons for the decision and the dilemma facing both Kenya and the international community.

Somalis and Prayer in the American Workplace

The New York Times published on 7 March 2016 an article titled "Prayer Dispute between Somalis and Plant Reshape a Colorado Town, Again" by Julie Turkewitz. 


A slaughterhouse owned by Cargill in Fort Morgan, Colorado has attracted many Somalis to its relatively good paying jobs.  Some are refugees from the Dadaab Camp in Kenya.  The article reports on a cultural clash between American working requirements and Somali Muslim prayers at the work site.

Security Challenges in Northeast Kenya

The International Crisis Group published on 17 November 2015 a report titled "Kenya's Somali North East: Devolution and Security."

Rampant criminality, inter-clan animosities and small-arms proliferation stretch policing and render highly insecure the refugee camps in northeast Kenya that host more than 350,000 Somali nationals.  Violent clan competition and antipathy between elected county elites and the national administrative  structures have allowed the extremist al-Shabaab movement to expand and operate with relative impunity across much of the northeast. 

Horn of Africa Security Updates

The Institute for Security Studies published its September 2015 Peace and Security Council Report, which provides updates on key security issues in the Horn of Africa.

The report looks at Kenya's plans to relocate Dadaab, the world's largest refugee camp, on the grounds it is a hotbed of al-Shabaab activity.

A field mission to Darfur reports on continuing violence despite the presence of African Union and United Nations peacekeepers.

It is critical of efforts by President Barack Obama to end the civil war in South Sudan during his recent visit to the region.

The report covers the new AMISOM offensive in Somalia aimed at further degrading al-Shabaab.

Evolution of Al-Shabaab

The Council on Foreign Relations blog posted on 30 April 2015 a piece titled "The Danger of Al-Shabaab's Evolution" by Alex Dick-Godfrey.  The author comments on how al-Shabaab has moved from an effort to rule Somalia to asymmetric warfare aimed at spoiling the political process in Somalia.

Nairobi's Little Mogadishu under Siege

Foreign Policy published on 14 April 2015 an article titled "Little Mogadishu, Under Siege" by Amanda Sperber.  The author argues that in the wake of the Garissa University attack, Somalis living in the Eastleigh neighborhood of Nairobi are caught between an increasingly indiscriminate al-Shabaab and a heavy-handed Kenyan police force. 

Kenya's Muslims--In the Eye of the Storm

The Washington-based Institute for Defense Analysis Africa Watch published on 3 April 2014 a brief analysis titled "Kenya's Muslims--In the Eye of the Storm" by George F. Ward.  He argued that Kenya's announced policy restricting Somali refugees to Camps is both unworkable and a potential fuel for inter-ethnic and inter-religious violence.  He also commented on the recent killing in Mombasa of the leader of the Musa Mosque. 

The Controversial Repatriation of Somali Refugees from Kenya

The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) published on 15 January 2014 a commentary titled "The Controversial Repatriation of Somali Refugees from Kenya" by ISS intern Hawa Noor and ISS senior researcher Emmanuel Kisiangani. 

In November 2013, Kenya and Somalia signed a tripartite agreement with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees to repatriate refugees from Kenya, especially those in the Dadaab Refugee Conplex, to "safe areas" in southern Somalia.  The concern, however, is whether the current security environment inside Somalia is amenable to voluntary repatriation.  The authors emphasize that the repatriation process must be truly voluntary. 

VOA Somali Survey

The Voice of America Somali Service conducted a survey over a three month period that polled more than 3,000 Somalis in Somalia, Somaliland, and at the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya. The results were fascinating.

Eighty-seven percent of the Somalis agreed strongly that Sharia law should be applied as a civil and criminal code throughout Somalia. Support for Sharia was strong among men, women and across age groups and geographic regions.

Most Somalis believed that women should be involved in the political process; 77 percent of the women agreed and 58 percent of the men agreed. Surprisingly, however, more than a third of the Somalis surveyed opposed ANY role for women in politics.

On 10 July 2012, 825 members selected from traditional elders, intellectual and civil society groups plan to adopt a provisional constitution. A majority of Somalis surveyed--61 percent--said it should be approved through a national referendum, although they acknowledged security conditions and lack of logistical capacity make that impossible now.

Eighty-three percent of those polled supported a strong central government as opposed to 13 percent who wanted a weak central government. In Mogadishu 92 percent favored a strong central government compared to 77 percent in Puntland and 83 percent in Somaliland.

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