Shah said the U.S. would "test the willingness" of al-Shabab to allow aid to the affected areas, but would not specify how exactly that willingness would be tested. He told reporters the United Nations was "leading an effort to understand what that means."

Refugee life

After touring the Ifo registration center, Shah visited the camp outskirts where recent arrivals have, over the past few years, made Dadaab the third largest city in Kenya. Many who have just arrived have only been provided with plastic sheets to build their houses due to shortages in the camps. Many have been waiting weeks for official registration and regular food rations, and many will likely wait weeks more.

In the meantime, Somalis are expected to keep pouring across the border, into Kenya's refugee camps at an estimated rate of 1,300 per day.