On January 8, 1982, the Somali government also closed its border with Djibouti to prevent the rebels from fleeing Somalia.
Most people here have fled Sudan and Somalia, countries long considered breeding grounds for terrorism.
She was one of the first to arrive in the camp when her family fled Somalia in 1991.
They fled Somalia and arrived safely in Dadaab but they were not free from danger, it was a place where women were especially vulnerable.
The building of birkas has also been stimulated with the arrival of refugees fleeing Somalia since 1988.
Makhtal fled war-torn Somalia in 1972.
After this traumatic experience, in 1991, she fled Somalia with her mother and siblings on a relative's lorry during the Somali Civil War.
His elder daughter, 11-year-old Faduma, was initiated before the family fled Somalia after a bomb fell on their home in Mogadishu.
Many of the best young runners from Africa fled Somalia and Sudan, nations enduring long civil wars.
Many of the refugees fleeing Somalia to Kenya and Ethiopia have been walking for weeks.