The United Nations has urged the Kenyan government to rethink the closing of the world’s largest refugee camp, and the repatriation of close to half a million Somali refugees.

The Kenyan government has called on the UN to close the Dadaab camp, in north eastern Kenya, following the April 2 attack by Somali based group al-Shabaab on the Garissa University.

Dadaab houses somewhere between 350-500,000 Somali refugees who have fled conflict in their home country. The camp has existed for over two decades, with many people living there for the entirety of that period.

Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto has said that is the UN do not move the refugees then the Kenyan government would “relocate them ourselves,” the BBC reports.

UNHCR spokesperson Karin de Gruijl said the United Nations, “understand(s) well the current regional security situation and the seriousness of the threats Kenya is facing.

“We also recognize the obligation of the government to ensure the security of its citizens and other people living in Kenya, including refugees."

However, de Gruijl insisted that closing the refugee camp in response to the attack would have widespread humanitarian consequences and would be “a breach of Kenya’s international obligations”.

“(A)bruptly closing the Dadaab camps and forcing refugees back to Somalia would have extreme humanitarian and practical consequences, and would be a breach of Kenya's international obligations,” she said.

In recent months there has been small scale repatriation of Somali refugees from Dadaab, however the ongoing security situation in Somalia – which remains one of the world’s most unstable and dangerous nations – has prevented any major return of refugees to their homeland.

Al-Shabaab has carried out dozens of attacks in Kenya, including the attack on the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, in which 67 people died. There have been repeated claims of targeted abuse of Somali refugees in Kenya by Kenyan security forces in reaction to al-Shabaab attacks.