One injured in clash between LGBTI members and locals in Kakuma

 

The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is appealing for calm in and the easing of tensions in Kakuma refugee camp.

This follows a violent confrontation between some LGBTI refugees and members of the local community witnessed on Friday.

The incident left one female refugee sustaining minor injuries and a local young man suffering serious injuries, requiring hospitalisation and further medical examination.

UNHCR said on Saturday that its staff visited the scene after the confrontation, and offered assistance and following up on the situation together with the authorities.

“The police responded immediately and have reinforced security in the Block 13 area,” UNHCR said.

Also, the police are investigating the accounts of the event provided to UNHCR by refugees living in Block 13, local community members, and other eyewitnesses.

The incident comes two barely two months after a similar confrontation which caused tension in the camp.

UNHCR had urged the conflicting groups within the Kakuma camp to end their dispute.

The UN body said that the conflict cannot be ignored and that it is concerned by the rising tensions inside the camp.

The statement said that the small group of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or Intersex (LGBTI) refugees and asylum-seekers have been reporting incidents of violence against them for the past weeks.

“Members of other refugee communities and LGBTI refugees and asylum-seekers living in other parts of the Kakuma camp have reported threats and violence perpetrated by individuals belonging to this small group,” part of the statement reads.