I have experienced many challenges living as a refugee in Nairobi for two years. The first challenge is security, which is not guaranteed. I live in Eastleigh, a small neighborhood that has become a Somali enclave. A series of explosions took place here after Kenyan troops entered Somalia.

This caused a reaction among Kenyans, who blamed Somali refugees. Although there is an increased police presence in the area, Somalis are afraid of the police because of the way that they behave towards them.

The Security Council approved the creation of an “intervention brigade” within the UN Stabilization Mission, but no increase in human rights observers and civilian monitors.

This post originally appeared on The Hill's Congress Blog.

The recent increase in displacement due to conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has multiplied the risk of gender-based violence (GBV). At the same time, coordination efforts by the international aid community are failing to address the needs of women and girls. In 2009, United Nations Action on Sexual Violence in Conflict drafted a comprehensive strategy for combating sexual violence in the DRC, which was then adopted by the DRC government.

Life in a displaced persons camp is not easy. Even for the strongest of the strong, surviving in an insecure and inhospitable camp is both physically and emotionally grueling. But for the elderly, disabled, or ill, the demands of camp life can seem insurmountable.

These individuals – especially those without family members to support them – are often the most vulnerable, and their needs are often overlooked.

Goma - Displaced people in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are rioting in the face of dire humanitarian conditions and an inadequate international response. A Refugees International (RI) team now in the DRC found that Congolese living in so-called "spontaneous settlements" have been overlooked by humanitarian actors, with some sites not receiving aid for months at a time. RI urges the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and its partners to address these needs immediately and prevent further unrest.

Kenya’s Dadaab refugee camp is the largest of its kind in the world: a sprawling, jam-packed community housing nearly half a million vulnerable Somali refugees. During a visit this week to one section of the camp, known as Kambioos, my Refugees International colleague and I met a young Somali man named Ahmed who had just arrived by bus from Nairobi.

Nairobi -- Refugees International (RI) is deeply concerned about Kenya’s recent decision to move 100,000 city-dwelling refugees into camps. This week, RI’s team in Nairobi interviewed refugees who described the fallout of this decision – including violence, harassment, and extortion suffered at the hands of Kenyan security services. RI therefore calls on the Government of Kenya not to pursue this relocation plan, and to ensure that the rights of all refugees are respected.

A military offensive in northern Mali would have serious humanitarian consequences and requires serious safeguards to be put in place, warns a coalition of ten non-governmental organisations. As the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution to authorise an international military force to restore territorial integrity, humanitarian NGOs operating in Mali have come together to sound a note of caution