UPSC Prelims 2022 Q82: Bidibidi and Dadaab Refugee Sites — Explained
Consider the following statements:
1. Bidibidi is a large refugee settlement in north-western Kenya.
2. Some people who fled from South Sudan civil war live in Bidibidi.
3. Some people who fled from civil war in Somalia live in Dadaab refugee complex in Kenya.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- 1 and 2
- 2 only
- 2 and 3
- 3 only
Answer: (c) 2 and 3
Statement-wise explanation
- 1: incorrect — Bidibidi is not in Kenya. It is in Yumbe District in north-western Uganda, near the South Sudan border. It was set up in August 2016, and FAO's 2023–2028 forest plan puts its population at about 2.7 lakh, which makes it Uganda's largest settlement. The large camp in north-western Kenya is Kakuma, in Turkana County. The statement swaps one for the other.
- 2: correct — Bidibidi was created for South Sudanese refugees. They were fleeing the civil war that began in December 2013 and flared again after fighting broke out in Juba on 8 July 2016. In 2021 UNHCR described it as home to over 2.35 lakh refugees from South Sudan and called it Africa's largest refugee settlement.
- 3: correct — Dadaab is in Garissa County in north-eastern Kenya, near the Somali border. It opened in 1991 for Somalis fleeing the civil war that followed the fall of Siad Barre's regime. It has five camps: Dagahaley, Hagadera, Ifo, Ifo II and Kambioos. UNHCR put its population above 4.63 lakh in December 2022, almost all of them Somali.
How to eliminate
You need two facts to solve this: Bidibidi is in Uganda, and Dadaab hosts Somalis. Option structure still helps. Statements 1 and 2 hang together, because a settlement for South Sudanese refugees makes sense close to South Sudan. Uganda and Kenya both share a border with South Sudan, so geography alone cannot place Bidibidi. Statement 3 is the easiest one: Dadaab sits next to Somalia, and the Somali civil war has been the main source of refugees in East Africa since 1991. Once you accept 3, only the options containing 3 remain, and you just have to decide on statement 1. The trap is that north-western Kenya does have a huge camp, Kakuma, so the description sounds right. Remember the pairs: Bidibidi goes with Uganda and South Sudanese refugees, Kakuma with north-western Kenya, and Dadaab with north-eastern Kenya and Somalis.
Know more
Refugee hosting in East Africa
East Africa's long-running conflicts in Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, the DRC and Burundi have produced some of the world's largest refugee sites. Uganda and Kenya host many of these refugees, but they follow very different policies.
| Site | Country / region | Opened | Main refugee group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bidibidi | Yumbe District, NW Uganda | 2016 | South Sudanese |
| Kakuma (+ Kalobeyei) | Turkana County, NW Kenya | 1992 | South Sudanese, Somali, Congolese and others |
| Dadaab | Garissa County, NE Kenya | 1991 | Somali |
Uganda: the settlement model. Refugees get plots of land to live on and farm, can move freely and can work. That is why Uganda's sites are called settlements, not camps. Bidibidi covers about 798 sq km. Its rapid growth has put pressure on the area's woodlands: a World Bank assessment found above-ground biomass fell from about 16 lakh tonnes in 2013 to about 10 lakh tonnes in 2018.
Kenya: the encampment model. Refugees must largely stay inside designated camps. This is one reason Dadaab grew from a planned capacity of about 90,000 into what UN Africa Renewal described as Kenya's third-largest city. Kenya has threatened several times to close Dadaab and Kakuma, citing security after Al-Shabaab attacks.
Key terms
- Refugee: a person outside their own country who fears persecution there (1951 Refugee Convention).
- Internally displaced person (IDP): someone displaced inside their own country, with no border crossed.
- UNHCR: the UN Refugee Agency, created in 1950. It runs these sites with the host governments.
India has not signed the 1951 Convention or its 1967 Protocol. It handles refugees through administrative policy.
In the news
In March–April 2021 Kenya announced that the Dadaab and Kakuma camps would close by 30 June 2022, and agreed a roadmap with UNHCR. That put Kenya's refugee camps in the news just before the 2022 Prelims. Bidibidi was also in the news at the time as Africa's largest refugee settlement.
NCERT Concepts to Revise
- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees: UNHCR runs and reports on both the Ugandan settlement and the Kenyan camp complex, so its figures settle the location and origin facts.