CIAO DATE: 09/2008
August 2008
United States Institute of Peace
Kenya's post-election violence has displaced more than 600,000 persons within the country since December 2007. Although violence-induced displacement is not a new phenomenon in Kenya, the magnitude, speed and intensity of this displacement were unprecedented. Clashes in the 1990s, also around general elections, displaced hundreds of thousands of Kenyans, many of whom remain displaced today. The new coalition government has made the resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) a top priority, launching "Operation Return Home" in May.
On June 17, 2008, USIP held a panel discussion on this subject. Panelist Dr. Jacqueline Klopp of Columbia University placed the current displacement within the larger context of recurrent violence and displacement in Kenya. Warigia Bowman, from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, highlighted the needs of IDPs, particularly vulnerable populations, as they pertain to relief and justice. Dorina Bekoe, Senior Research Associate at USIP's Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention, moderated. This USIPeace Briefing integrates the discussions at the meeting into a larger analysis of the Kenyan government's approach to resettling IDPs.
Resource link: Moving Beyond Relief: The Challenges of Settling Kenya's Internally Displaced [PDF] - 87K