Lack of assistance compounded suffering of displaced in Iwa camp

ODAY AL-AHMAD – AHMAD SAMIR / DEIR EZ-ZOR

The camp, which was established on 16 September 2018 by Deir ez-Zor civil council in coordination with the Syrian Democratic Council, includes about 140 families, the number is expected to rise in the coming days in conjunction with the progress of the Syrian Democratic Forces and the liberation of towns and villages located on the eastern bank of the Euphrates, that is as part of the final phase of al-Jazeera Tempest campaign "Battle to defeat terrorism".

140 families are divided into 90 tents. Each family lives in a tent that is barely protecting them from the heat of the desert climate in the area. All of these families have fled the areas occupied by IS mercenaries, as "al-Baguoz, Shafa and al-Sousa".

The camp administration provides daily bread to the families in the camp, as well as the distribution of ice sheets for the cooling of drinking water, which are delivered daily to the reservoirs spread on the outskirts of the camp through the tanks of the people's municipality of al-Shaitat

They block their exit and use them as human shields

The administrator of Iwa refugee camp, Mohammed Suleiman, confirmed that four days ago, the camp did not register any cases of influx due to closure of the siege by the mercenaries and preventing them from going out as human shields to obstruct the progress of the Syrian Democratic Forces.

During a tour of Hawar news agency in the camp, a number of displaced people spoke about their suffering and the harassment they were subjected to by IS mercenaries during their departure from their areas.

The young man Hasan al-Mousa, from al-Sousa town, pointed out that ISIS have prevented the residents to leave the areas liberated by SDF, and killed a number of civilians who tried to exit under the name of "apostasy" or on the charge of waiting for Syrian Democratic Forces to liberate them.

Iraqi mercenaries are the rulers and decision-makers

"The Iraqi mercenaries are the rulers and the decision-makers. They have charged the people who remained in their homes as agents to SDF and carried out random and repeated arrests against them."

In order to facilitate the exit of civilians, the Syrian Democratic Forces have worked since the beginning of the campaign to open safe humanitarian corridors to facilitate the departure of the remaining people in the places occupied by ISIS, and transfer them to the camp and secure their accommodation.

For her part, the displaced Samira Mohammed, one of the refugees who fled from al-Bagouz town, which recently liberated by the Syrian Democratic Forces, appealed to all the humanitarian organizations that overlook the situation of the camp, to provide them with food and medical assistance.

While the medical teams of the Kurdish Red Crescent are working to provide medical assistance and first aid to families fleeing, and the transfer of injured by ambulances to hospitals in the event that the injury had to be transferred to the hospital. Although IS mercenaries have targeted the Kurdish Red Crescent crew more than once.

The people of the area are trying on a daily basis to flee the areas occupied by mercenaries and move towards the liberated areas, demanding security and stability.

H/S

ANHA