Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta said Wednesday that hundreds of thousands of Somali refugees in the Dadaab camp would not be forcefully repatriated, walking back a threat made last month after a deadly attack at a university by the militant group al-Shabaab.
In a statement issued by his office, according to the New York Times, citing news agencies, Kenyatta said his country “has been, and will continue, fulfilling its international obligations.” The new comments come after Kenyatta met with the United Nations’ top refugee official and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
The government drew international condemnation after calling for the closure of the Dadaab refugee camp, one of the world’s largest and which houses some 350,000 Somalis, in the wake of the attack in Garissa that killed nearly 150 people, mostly students.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- The New Face of Doctor Who
- Putin’s Enemies Are Struggling to Unite
- Women Say They Were Pressured Into Long-Term Birth Control
- Scientists Are Finding Out Just How Toxic Your Stuff Is
- Boredom Makes Us Human
- John Mulaney Has What Late Night Needs
- The 100 Most Influential People of 2024
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Write to Noah Rayman at noah.rayman@time.com