Gunmen kidnap two teachers from Kenya's Dadaab refugee camp

Kenyan authorities have confirmed that security forces have been dispatched to rescue two teachers abducted from Dadaab, the world's largest refugee camp located in eastern Kenya close to the Somali border.

The male teachers, who work for the Khalif Udha Academy, were kidnapped by unidentified gunmen overnight at 4am on Thursday (2 March), in the Hagadera refugee camp located in Dadaab, according to multiple reports.

North Eastern regional coordinator Mohamud Saleh confirmed the abduction of the pair, and is quoted as saying security forces had been dispatched to rescue the teachers, described as non-locals.

There are fears the gunmen could be militants from the Somalia-based terror group al-Shabaab, after the teachers were reportedly driven towards the Somali border.

Last month, the Kenyan government, which describes the camp as a breeding ground for terrorists, said it will appeal against a high court ruling that a closure of Dadaab was "unconstitutional", alleging attacks by a-Shabaab had been planned in Dadaab.

The sprawling Dadaab facility largely populated by 260,000 Somali refugees, has been a target of the group in recent years, with the militants attacking security forces, humanitarian personnel and installations.

In October 2015, a teacher working for Windle Trust, Judy Mutua, was rescued at Shaba-Difu, 15km into Somalia, in a joint Somali and Kenyan security operation after she was kidnapped from Hagaderaby by masked armed men.