NAIROBI SEPTEMBER 16, 2016 (CISA) – Kenya’s repatriation program for Somali refugees, fueled by fear and misinformation, does not meet international standards for voluntary refugee return, Human Rights Watch has said. The agreement between Kenya, Somalia, and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) that says both countries and UNHCR will make sure Somalis return voluntarily in safety and dignity. Kenyan authorities, with officials from the UNHCR, then stepped up a 2013 “voluntary” repatriation program. As of mid–August, more than 24,000 Somalia refugees had returned to Somalia from Dadaab since the start of the repatriation process in December 2014. Human Rights Watch has further recommended that UNHCR not facilitate any refugee returns to Somalia “until Kenya confirms that all refugees have a genuinely free choice to stay in Kenya or return to Somalia.”