Closing the world's largest refugee camp is a complicated process

Julie Siple and Tom Weber
Madino Dhurow stands by her makeshift shelter
In this photo taken Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2016, Somali refugee and mother of six Madino Dhurow, who was repatriated to Somalia from Kenya's Dadaab camp, stands by her makeshift shelter in the Daryeel camp for the displaced, where she now lives in Mogadishu, Somalia.
Farah Abdi Warsameh | AP

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Kenya has been pushing to shut down Dadaab, the largest refugee camp in the world.

The camp, which is located in eastern Kenya, was opened in 1991 as a temporary home for people fleeing war in Somalia. It's since grown into a huge city, housing almost 300,000 refugees and asylum seekers as of last August.

In November, Kenya said it would delay the camp's closure by several months after the United Nations warned of humanitarian concerns. MPR News host Tom Weber talked with Ben Rawlence, author of "City of Thorns: Nine Lives in the World's Largest Refugee Camp," for an update.

To hear the full conversation use the audio player above.

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