Syria's al-Hol camp residents feel winter’s bitter cold as aid delivery dwindles
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – With winter winds and rain ripping through their tents, residents of northeastern Syria’s al-Hol camp, home to thousands of Islamic State (ISIS) families, are suffering from a shortage of basic services and humanitarian aid a week after the United Nations decided to limit the delivery of international aid to the country.
More than 66,000 people, mostly families of ISIS fighters who were killed or detained in the fight against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) since 2014, live in the camp. The population of the camp is almost entirely women and children.
Many humanitarian organizations working in the area suspended operations in October when Turkey launched a military offensive against the SDF. Most aid groups are now back , but last week when the UN Security Council, under pressure from Syrian regime ally Russia, voted to extend humanitarian aid to Syria, it scaled back the program that allows the delivery of aid through border crossings that are not controlled by Damascus.
This was a blow to those living in SDF-controlled areas, especially the inhabitants of al-Hol camp who heavily depend on international aid delivered through the Yaroubiyeh crossing on the Syria-Iraq border. Under the new UN measures, that route is now closed to aid.
There are only two options to deliver aid to SDF-controlled areas now: through the Turkish border or via Damascus-controlled areas. Both are problematic for the Kurdish administration since they don’t have relations with Turkey and have been struggling for months to reach a political agreement with the regime while maintaining their fragile autonomy.
With winter settling in, about 100 tents in al-Hol were blown away and another ten were burned.
“We want tents. I have been asking them [camp management] to provide me with a tent because I share one with three families,” Hena Shaalun told Rudaw. She is from Mosul city in Iraq and lives with her children in a crowded tent. Nearly half the camp residents, 46 percent, are Iraqis, 39 percent are Syrian, and 15 percent are from other countries, according to UN figures.
The Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (NES) manages the administrative and security affairs of the camp, but they don’t have the capability to provide humanitarian aid like tents and food.
Mohammed Bashir is a member of the camp administration. He called on international aid groups to do more.
“There is a shortage and delay of aid in this camp,” he told Rudaw. “The organizations have to provide people with tents and replace the old with new ones. They also have to remove trash and improve roads, especially now in winter as all roads are affected and cars cannot pass through.”
There are a total of 17 camps for refugees and displaced persons under Kurdish control in northeast Syria. Sheikhmus Ahmed, head of the internal displaced persons (IDP) and refugee office for the NES, told Rudaw last week that the UN decision will worsen conditions in the 17 camps.
“There are 17 camps in Rojava,” he said. “It is very difficult for the Rojava administration to manage all of these camps.”
Additional reporting by Viviyan Fatah
More than 66,000 people, mostly families of ISIS fighters who were killed or detained in the fight against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) since 2014, live in the camp. The population of the camp is almost entirely women and children.
Many humanitarian organizations working in the area suspended operations in October when Turkey launched a military offensive against the SDF. Most aid groups are now back , but last week when the UN Security Council, under pressure from Syrian regime ally Russia, voted to extend humanitarian aid to Syria, it scaled back the program that allows the delivery of aid through border crossings that are not controlled by Damascus.
This was a blow to those living in SDF-controlled areas, especially the inhabitants of al-Hol camp who heavily depend on international aid delivered through the Yaroubiyeh crossing on the Syria-Iraq border. Under the new UN measures, that route is now closed to aid.
There are only two options to deliver aid to SDF-controlled areas now: through the Turkish border or via Damascus-controlled areas. Both are problematic for the Kurdish administration since they don’t have relations with Turkey and have been struggling for months to reach a political agreement with the regime while maintaining their fragile autonomy.
With winter settling in, about 100 tents in al-Hol were blown away and another ten were burned.
“We want tents. I have been asking them [camp management] to provide me with a tent because I share one with three families,” Hena Shaalun told Rudaw. She is from Mosul city in Iraq and lives with her children in a crowded tent. Nearly half the camp residents, 46 percent, are Iraqis, 39 percent are Syrian, and 15 percent are from other countries, according to UN figures.
The Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (NES) manages the administrative and security affairs of the camp, but they don’t have the capability to provide humanitarian aid like tents and food.
Mohammed Bashir is a member of the camp administration. He called on international aid groups to do more.
“There is a shortage and delay of aid in this camp,” he told Rudaw. “The organizations have to provide people with tents and replace the old with new ones. They also have to remove trash and improve roads, especially now in winter as all roads are affected and cars cannot pass through.”
There are a total of 17 camps for refugees and displaced persons under Kurdish control in northeast Syria. Sheikhmus Ahmed, head of the internal displaced persons (IDP) and refugee office for the NES, told Rudaw last week that the UN decision will worsen conditions in the 17 camps.
“There are 17 camps in Rojava,” he said. “It is very difficult for the Rojava administration to manage all of these camps.”
Additional reporting by Viviyan Fatah