Somali refugee camps: where they are and what life is like

Where are the Somali refugee camps today?

Most Somali refugees in camps live in Kenya and Ethiopia. Kenya's Dadaab complex held 438,964 people on 31 October 2026, and 425,008 of them came from Somalia (UNHCR Operational Data Portal, Garissa, 31 Oct 2026). Ethiopia's Somali region held 367,369 refugees on the same date (UNHCR Operational Data Portal, Ethiopia, 31 Oct 2026).

Smaller groups live in camps or towns in Djibouti, Yemen and Uganda. Djibouti counted 13,905 refugees and asylum seekers from Somalia on 31 August 2026 (UNHCR ODP, Djibouti). Yemen counted 41,171 (UNHCR ODP, Yemen, 31 Aug 2026), and Uganda 55,048 (UNHCR ODP, Uganda, 31 Oct 2026).

How many Somalis live in Kenya's camps and cities?

On 31 October 2026, Kenya hosted 334,733 refugees and 156,636 asylum seekers from Somalia (UNHCR ODP, Kenya). Somalis were 51.5% of all refugees in Kenya and 65.9% of all asylum seekers (same source).

Most live in Dadaab, in Garissa County. Another 41,080 Somalis lived in Turkana County, home of Kakuma (UNHCR ODP, Turkana). In Nairobi, 25,281 refugees and asylum seekers came from Somalia (UNHCR ODP, Nairobi).

Dadaab: when did it open and how big did it get?

Dadaab sits about 100 km from the Somali border (UNFPA, 4 Oct 2011). It was set up in 1991 for people fleeing the war in Somalia (Al Jazeera Liberties, 18 May 2026). Ben Rawlence's book dates its continuous population from 1992 (Kirkus review of City of Thorns, 2016).

Dadaab was designed for 90,000 people (Ikanda, bpb, 10 Nov 2020). In 2011, about 130,000 people arrived, fleeing drought and famine (Al Jazeera Liberties, 2026).

The peak is reported differently:

• UNFPA, October 2011: over 470,000 people, the largest refugee camp in the world (UNFPA).
• Al Jazeera, 2026: more than 500,000 in 2011 (Al Jazeera Liberties).
• Ikanda, 2020: about 450,000 in the mid-2010s (bpb).

The lowest recent point came after voluntary returns. At the end of March 2020, Dadaab held 217,511 refugees (bpb, 2020).

What are the Dadaab camps, one by one?

Population on 31 October 2026, from UNHCR ODP, Garissa:

• Hagadera: 145,449 people (33.1% of Dadaab).
• Dagahaley: 109,154 people (24.9%).
• Ifo: 95,398 people (21.7%).
• Ifo 2: 88,963 people (20.3%).
• Kambioos: no separate figure is published on the portal.

Ifo 2 and Kambioos were set up in 2011 to absorb new arrivals (The Star, 10 Jan 2023). Kambioos closed in 2017 and Ifo 2 in 2018 (bpb, 2020). UNHCR handed both empty camps to the Kenyan government in June 2019 (VOA, 21 Jun 2019).

In January 2023, Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki designated Ifo 2 and Kambioos as refugee camps again (The Star, 10 Jan 2023). The reason given was about 24,000 new arrivals from Somalia living in makeshift shelters (same source).

How many people were born and grew up in Dadaab?

No official count of births in the camps was found. The age data shows how young the camps are. Of 425,008 Somalis in Dadaab on 31 October 2026, 244,119 were children under 18 (UNHCR ODP, Garissa, demographic breakdown).

Of those children, 70,354 were under five years old (same source). In 2011, UNFPA reported that about 60% of Dadaab's people were young (UNFPA, 2011).

Reports on the third generation differ:

• Nation (Kenya), citing UNHCR: more than 100,000 second-generation refugees, and about 15,000 third-generation (Daily Nation).
• Devex, 2011: about 10,000 third-generation refugees whose parents were also born in the camps (Devex).

A young woman born in Dagahaley told MSF in 2021, "All my life, I have only known Dagahaley." Her three children were also born in the camp (MSF, 18 Jun 2021).

A young man born in Ifo in about 1991 told UNFPA that at 20 he still had no Kenyan ID card. "At times I ask myself if I am a Somali, or if I'm Kenyan citizen since I was born here," he said (UNFPA, 2011).

Can children go to school in Dadaab?

In February 2024, UNHCR supported 45,651 students in Dadaab, 20,042 of them girls (UNHCR Kenya Operational Update, Feb 2024). They studied in 23 primary schools and six secondary schools (same source).

In 2011, about 48% of children were enrolled, and Dadaab had only one secondary school (UNFPA, 2011). UNHCR estimates about half of school-age refugees in Kenya are still out of school (UNHCR Kenya, education).

Can refugees in Kenya work or leave the camps?

Refugees need special permits to leave the camps, and jobs are scarce (Al Jazeera Liberties, 2026). Food aid fell to 28% of a full ration by mid-2025, and cash assistance ended (same source).

Kenya's Refugees Act 2021 was signed on 17 November 2021 and took effect on 21 February 2022 (Refugees Act 2021, Judy Legal). Section 28(5) gives refugees the right to work, run a business or practise a profession (HIAS analysis).

The same Act keeps "designated areas" where refugees must live (Refugees Act 2021, sections 30 to 33). HIAS notes the Act is silent on freedom of movement and continues the camp policy (HIAS).

What is Kenya's Shirika Plan?

The Shirika Plan was launched in March 2025 as an eleven-year plan (Al Jazeera Liberties, 2026). It aims to turn Dadaab and Kakuma into municipalities shared by refugees and Kenyan hosts (same source). Its estimated budget is $943 million (same source).

The plan promises refugees access to IDs, business permits, banking and services (AllAfrica, Jul 2025). Refugees who do not join can choose voluntary return or, if vulnerable, resettlement (same source).

When did Kenya try to close the camps, and what did courts say?

• 6 May 2016: Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho said Kenya would stop hosting refugees and disband its Department of Refugee Affairs (Human Rights Watch, 6 May 2016). Kenya then hosted over 463,000 Somali refugees (same source).
• 9 February 2017: High Court Justice John Mativo ruled the closure order null and void (Amnesty International, 9 Feb 2017). The case was brought by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights and Kituo Cha Sheria (same source).
• March 2021: Interior Minister Fred Matiang'i gave UNHCR two weeks to produce a closure plan (Al Jazeera, 29 Apr 2021).
• April 2021: The High Court issued a temporary 30-day order blocking the faster closure (same source).
• 29 April 2021: Kenya said both Dadaab and Kakuma would close by 30 June 2022 (same source). They did not close by that date (Al Jazeera opinion, 28 May 2022).

What were Kenya's coastal camps in the early 1990s?

In the early 1990s, Kenya set up 17 refugee camps; most closed by the mid-1990s (bpb, 2020). In May 1994, UNHCR listed 13 camps, including Utange, Marafa, Jomvu, Hatimy and Swaleh Nguru (IRB Canada via ecoi.net).

• Swaleh Nguru ("Benadir camp"), Mombasa: 4,542 Benadiri refugees in May 1994 (same source). It still ran in 1997, after the 1995 closures brought other Somali groups (same source).
• Utange and Marafa: closed in 1995, per UNHCR (same source).
• Jomvu and Hatimy: named in Kenya's June 1994 request to close the coastal camps (same source).

In June 1994, UNHCR reportedly moved 7,394 refugees from the coast to Kakuma and 1,483 to Dadaab (same source). In March 1997, it began moving 16,704 Somali refugees to Kakuma and Dadaab (AFP, cited in same source).

What was Liboi?

Liboi is a Kenyan border town. From late 1991, refugees crossed there or arrived by boat on the coast (UNHCR evaluation, via CORE). People crossing at Liboi were screened on arrival, then moved on to the Dadaab camps (same source).

Kakuma: how many Somalis live there?

Kakuma, in Turkana County, opened in 1992 after the arrival of the "Lost Boys of Sudan" (UNHCR Kenya, Kakuma). Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement was added in 2016 (same source).

On 31 October 2026, Kakuma held 240,551 people and Kalobeyei 89,101 (UNHCR ODP, Turkana). Of the county's camp population, 41,080 came from Somalia, 12.5% of the total (same source).

Anthropologist Catherine-Lune Grayson studied Somali young people raised there (Berghahn Books, Children of the Camp, 2017).

What was Hartisheikh?

Hartisheikh lay in eastern Ethiopia, near Kebribeyah (ODI and DRC, Oct 2020). Refugees arrived in 1988, after the destruction of Hargeisa (same source).

Its size is reported differently:

• ODI, citing Van Brabant (1994): 400,000 people in 1988, for a time the world's largest refugee camp (ODI, 2020).
• UN News, 2004: more than 250,000 Somali refugees at its peak (UN News, 1 Jul 2004).

Most came from the Gabiley and Hargeisa areas (UN News, 2004). Over 230,000 went home on UNHCR convoys from April 1997 (same source).

The last convoy left on 30 June 2004 with 719 people (UN News, 2004). UNHCR handed its dam, schools and health centres to the local district (same source).

Ethiopia's Dollo Ado camps: when did they open?

The Melkadida area, in Ethiopia's Somali region, has five camps for refugees from southern Somalia (UNHCR, Melkadida and Jijiga update, 2020). The largest influx came in 2011, during severe drought and insecurity (same source).

Population on 31 October 2026, from UNHCR ODP, Ethiopia:

• Bokolmanyo: 33,636. Opened in early 2009 (Refugee Economies, Oxford).
• Melkadida: 44,688. Opened in 2010 (same source).
• Kobe: 37,163. Opened in 2011 (same source).
• Hilaweyn: 53,160. Opened in 2011 (same source).
• Buramino: 50,004. Opened in 2011 (same source).

The five camps held 206,300 refugees on 31 May 2015 (UNHCR Dollo Ado infographic, 31 May 2015). Most came from Gedo, Bay, Bakool and Banadir (same source).

In 2019, 23,638 children attended primary school in Melkadida and 2,878 students secondary school (UNHCR, 2020). The average gross enrolment rate was 59% in June 2019 (same source).

What is Bokh, the newest site?

From 6 February 2023, refugees fleeing fighting in Laascaanood crossed into Ethiopia's Doolo zone (UN News, Apr 2023). Ethiopia's Refugees and Returnees Service and UNHCR opened Mirqaan settlement in Bokh district (same source). On 31 October 2026, Bokh held 91,448 refugees (UNHCR ODP, Ethiopia).

Ethiopia's Jijiga camps: Kebribeyah, Sheder and Aw Barre

Over 600,000 refugees from Somalia arrived in the Jijiga area in 1989 and the early 1990s (UNHCR, 2020). By the early 1990s, there were nine camps there (ODI, 2020).

Population on 31 October 2026, from UNHCR ODP, Ethiopia:

• Kebribeyah: 22,814. It is the only one of the nine early camps still open (ODI, 2020).
• Aw Barre: 18,569. It stands where Teferi Ber camp stood until 2001 (same source).
• Sheder: 15,887. ODI describes it as the most rural of the three (same source).

Can refugees in Ethiopia work?

Ethiopia's Refugee Proclamation No. 1110/2019 gives refugees a right to work on the same footing as foreigners (Abyssinia Law). Many jobs are reserved for nationals, which limits that right in practice (same source).

Djibouti: Ali Addeh and Holl-Holl

Ali Addeh opened in 1991 for Somali refugees and was designed for fewer than 7,000 people (UNHCR ODP news, 2012). In 2012 it held 17,060 refugees, 16,396 of them Somali (same source). Water supply was about 5 litres per person a day (same source).

In 1999, about 11,000 refugees lived in Ali Addeh and 10,000 in Holl-Holl (UNHCR Global Appeal 1999, Djibouti). Holl-Holl closed in the mid-2000s and reopened on 4 June 2012 (UNHCR ODP news, 2012). Its first school year began on 11 September 2012 with about 310 pupils (same source).

Djibouti's refugee law and two 2017 decrees came into force in December 2017 (UNHCR, Dec 2017). They cover work, education and health. On 31 August 2026, Ali Sabieh region, where Holl-Holl lies, hosted 25,502 refugees and asylum seekers (UNHCR ODP, Djibouti).

Yemen: Kharaz camp

Kharaz opened in 2001 in Lahj governorate and is Yemen's only refugee camp (UNHCR Yemen, Kharaz, 2024). It held almost 10,000 people from Somalia and Ethiopia in 2024 (same source). In August 2010 it held around 14,000 (IRIN via GlobalSecurity, Sep 2010).

On 31 August 2026, Lahj governorate hosted 10,680 refugees and asylum seekers (UNHCR ODP, Yemen). Most of Yemen's 41,171 Somalis lived in cities such as Aden and Sana'a (same source).

Uganda: Nakivale and Kampala

Uganda does not keep refugees in closed camps. Its 2006 Refugees Act gives freedom of movement, the right to work and land plots in settlements (UNHCR Uganda briefing kit, Aug 2026).

Nakivale opened in 1958 and is Africa's oldest refugee settlement (Omata, Forced Migration Review). Most Somali refugees in Uganda live in Kisenyi, Kampala, known as "Little Mogadishu" (same source). Somali business owners in Nakivale import goods from Somali-Ugandan traders in Kampala (same source).

In an Oxford survey, 29% of Somalis in Nakivale said they had left the settlement in the past year (Refugee Economies brief, Uganda).

What have scholars written about camp life?

• Cindy Horst, Transnational Nomads (Berghahn, 2006), on how Somalis in Dadaab use networks, money transfers and the hope of resettlement (PRIO).
• Ben Rawlence, City of Thorns (Picador, 2016), following nine Dadaab residents (Kirkus).
• Jennifer Hyndman, Managing Displacement (University of Minnesota Press, 2000), from work with agencies in Kenya and Somalia (York University).
• Catherine-Lune Grayson, Children of the Camp (Berghahn, 2017), on Somali youth raised in Kakuma (Berghahn).

Why it matters (Calankii)

Hundreds of thousands of Somalis have been born under a camp's rules rather than under the flag raised over their own land. Their schooling, papers and right to work shape the next generation of Somalis. Keeping this record in one place honours every family who waited in these camps.

Related pages

• Kenya
• Ethiopia
• Djibouti
• Yemen
• Somali refugees by the numbers
• Internal displacement

Sources

1. UNHCR. Operational Data Portal: Garissa (Dadaab), 31 Oct 2026. https://data.unhcr.org/en/country/ken/794. Checked 2026-11-12.
2. UNHCR. Operational Data Portal: Kenya, 31 Oct 2026. https://data.unhcr.org/en/country/ken. Checked 2026-11-12.
3. UNHCR. Operational Data Portal: Turkana (Kakuma, Kalobeyei), 31 Oct 2026. https://data.unhcr.org/en/country/ken/796. Checked 2026-11-12.
4. UNHCR. Operational Data Portal: Nairobi, 31 Oct 2026. https://data.unhcr.org/en/country/ken/187. Checked 2026-11-12.
5. UNHCR. Operational Data Portal: Ethiopia, 31 Oct 2026. https://data.unhcr.org/en/country/eth. Checked 2026-11-12.
6. UNHCR. Operational Data Portal: Djibouti, 31 Aug 2026. https://data.unhcr.org/en/country/dji. Checked 2026-11-12.
7. UNHCR. Operational Data Portal: Yemen, 31 Aug 2026. https://data.unhcr.org/en/country/yem. Checked 2026-11-12.
8. UNHCR. Operational Data Portal: Uganda, 31 Oct 2026. https://data.unhcr.org/en/country/uga. Checked 2026-11-12.
9. UNHCR Ethiopia. Somali refugees in Ethiopia: Melkadida and Jijiga situational update, 2020. https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/download/74686. Checked 2026-11-12.
10. UNHCR Ethiopia. Dollo Ado refugee camps population, 31 May 2015. https://data.unhcr.org/fr/documents/download/32074. Checked 2026-11-12.
11. Carver, F., Gedi, A. A. and Naish, D. Somali regional report 2018–2019. ODI and DRC, Oct 2020. https://cdn.odi.org/media/documents/somali_regional_report_2018-2019_refugee_and_host_community_context_analysis.pdf. Checked 2026-11-12.
12. UN News. Once world's largest refugee camp in Ethiopia now closed, 1 Jul 2004. https://news.un.org/en/node/108122. Checked 2026-11-12.
13. UN News. New settlement opens for latest Somali refugees in Ethiopia, Apr 2023. https://news.un.org/en/node/1135507. Checked 2026-11-12.
14. Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. The "Benadir" refugee camp, via ecoi.net. https://www.ecoi.net/de/dokument/194780. Checked 2026-11-12.
15. Ikanda, F. N. The Snake's Head? Mistrust of Somali Refugees and the Encampment Policy in Kenya. bpb, 10 Nov 2020. https://www.bpb.de/themen/migration-integration/laenderprofile/english-version-country-profiles/318374/the-snake-s-head-mistrust-of-somali-refugees-and-the-encampment-policy-in-kenya. Checked 2026-11-12.
16. UNHCR. Review of UNHCR's programme in Kenya, via CORE. https://core.ac.uk/download/46721357.pdf. Checked 2026-11-12.
17. Amnesty International. Kenya: Historic ruling blocks closure of Dadaab refugee camp, 9 Feb 2017. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2017/02/kenya-historic-ruling-blocks-closure-of-dadaab-refugee-camp-2/. Checked 2026-11-12.
18. Human Rights Watch. Kenya: Ending refugee hosting, closing camps, 6 May 2016. https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/05/06/kenya-ending-refugee-hosting-closing-camps. Checked 2026-11-12.
19. Al Jazeera. Kenya says Dadaab, Kakuma refugee camps to close next year, 29 Apr 2021. https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2021/4/29/kenya-says-dadaab-kakuma-refugee-camps-to-close-next-year. Checked 2026-11-12.
20. Al Jazeera. Refugees in Kenya's Kakuma and Dadaab camps are still in limbo, 28 May 2022. https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/opinions/2022/5/28/refugees-in-kenyas-kakuma-and-dadaab-camps-are-still-in-limbo. Checked 2026-11-12.
21. MSF. Return not a solution, say refugees in Dadaab after camp closure announcement, 18 Jun 2021. https://www.msf.org.za/news-and-resources/latest-news/return-not-solution-say-refugees-dadaab-after-camp-closure. Checked 2026-11-12.
22. VOA. Kenya retakes control of two emptied refugee camps, 21 Jun 2019. https://www.voanews.com/a/africa_kenya-retakes-control-two-emptied-refugee-camps/6170429.html. Checked 2026-11-12.
23. The Star (Kenya). CS Kindiki designates two more refugee camps in Garissa, 10 Jan 2023. https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/realtime/2023-01-10-cs-kindiki-designates-two-more-refugee-camps-in-garissa. Checked 2026-11-12.
24. Republic of Kenya. Refugees Act, 2021 (No. 10 of 2021), via Judy Legal. https://www.judy.legal/legislation/akn/ke/act/2021/10. Checked 2026-11-12.
25. HIAS. Kenya's Refugee Act 2021: opportunities for refugee livelihoods and self-reliance. https://hias.org/wp-content/uploads/kenyas_refugee_act_2021-_opportunities_for_refugee_livelihoods_and_self-reliance_-final_draft31.pdf. Checked 2026-11-12.
26. Al Jazeera Liberties. A city born of crisis: Dadaab, 18 May 2026. https://liberties.aljazeera.com/en/a-city-born-of-crisis-how-dadaab-one-of-the-largest-and-oldest-refugee-settlements-on-earth-faces-an-uncertain-future-amid-funding-collapse-political-ambition-and-fragile-hope/. Checked 2026-11-12.
27. AllAfrica. Kenya's Shirika Plan: a new dawn for refugee rights and integration, Jul 2025. https://allafrica.com/stories/202507080002.html. Checked 2026-11-12.
28. Odiwuor, K. No direction home: a generation shaped by life in Dadaab. UNFPA, 4 Oct 2011. https://unfpa.org/news/no-direction-home-generation-shaped-life-dadaab. Checked 2026-11-12.
29. Daily Nation. "I'm not really a Somali, yet I'm not Kenyan either." https://nation.africa/kenya/life-and-style/dn2/i-m-not-really-a-somali-yet-i-m-not-kenyan-either-i-think-i-am-more-of-a-dadaabian-1028402. Checked 2026-11-12.
30. Devex. Dadaab turns 20, 2011. https://www.devex.com/news/dadaab-turns-20-77563. Checked 2026-11-12.
31. UNHCR Kenya. Operational Update, February 2024. https://www.unhcr.org/sites/default/files/2024-05/UNHCR%20Kenya%20Operational%20Update%20February%202024.pdf. Checked 2026-11-12.
32. UNHCR Kenya. Education. https://www.unhcr.org/ke/what-we-do/education. Checked 2026-11-12.
33. UNHCR Kenya. Kakuma refugee camp and Kalobeyei settlement. https://www.unhcr.org/ke/node/296. Checked 2026-11-12.
34. Betts, A. et al. Refugee Economies in Dollo Ado. University of Oxford. https://www.refugee-economies.org/assets/downloads/Report_Refugee_Economies_in_Dollo_Ado.pdf. Checked 2026-11-12.
35. Abyssinia Law. Refugee Proclamation No. 1110/2019: the right to work of refugees. https://abyssinialaw.com/blog/refugee-proclamation-no-1110-2019-the-right-to-work-of-refugees-is-it-possible-to-implement. Checked 2026-11-12.
36. UNHCR. Holl-Holl: a new camp intended for Somali refugees, 2012. https://data.unhcr.org/en/news/9813. Checked 2026-11-12.
37. UNHCR. Global Appeal 1999: Djibouti. https://www.unhcr.org/node/2103. Checked 2026-11-12.
38. UNHCR. UNHCR welcomes Djibouti's new refugee laws, Dec 2017. https://www.unhcr.org/au/node/17363. Checked 2026-11-12.
39. UNHCR Yemen. Kharaz refugee camp, 2 Jun 2024. https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/109072. Checked 2026-11-12.
40. IRIN, via GlobalSecurity. Yemen: Kharaz camp, Sep 2010. https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2010/09/mil-100921-irin02.htm. Checked 2026-11-12.
41. UNHCR Uganda. Uganda Refugee Response inter-agency coordination briefing kit, Aug 2026. https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/download/124868. Checked 2026-11-12.
42. Omata, N. Forced Migration Review article on Somali refugees in Uganda. https://www.fmreview.org/sites/default/files/FMRdownloads/en/omata.pdf. Checked 2026-11-12.
43. Refugee Economies Programme. Uganda self-reliance brief. University of Oxford. https://www.refugee-economies.org/assets/downloads/Brief_Uganda_Self_Reliance.pdf. Checked 2026-11-12.
44. Horst, C. Transnational Nomads. Berghahn, 2006. PRIO record. https://www.prio.org/publications/324. Checked 2026-11-12.
45. Rawlence, B. City of Thorns. Picador, 2016. Kirkus review. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/ben-rawlence/city-of-thorns/. Checked 2026-11-12.
46. Hyndman, J. Managing Displacement. University of Minnesota Press, 2000. https://jhyndman.info.yorku.ca/managing-displacement-refugees-and-the-politics-of-humanitarianism/. Checked 2026-11-12.
47. Grayson, C.-L. Children of the Camp. Berghahn, 2017. https://berghahnbooks.com/title/GraysonChildren. Checked 2026-11-12.