After
four years in a
refugee camp, one
19-year-old journeys home to Somalia
DADAAB
refugee COMPLEX, Kenya — Mohamed Omar Abdille remembers the night before he left his
home in Merca, Somalia, in September 2012 to begin life as a refugee.
He was 15. Family and friends gathered around the table for a final meal before his departure. His mother served his favorite supper of spaghetti, beef and milk. They joked and laughed about his journey ahead and spoke of the peace that prevailed at the Dadaab
refugee complex, 325 miles away in Kenya, and about the opportunities that awaited Mohamed there. An uncle was already at one of the five camps at the complex, and Mohamed could live with him while he attended school. In Merca, Mohamed recalled this past summer, "there was little food or water, and the few schools had long been closed."
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