Iraqis at the al-Hol Camp to return home

Bids by the al-Hol Camp are underway to exit Iraqi refugees from the camp, as of the next week, after receiving okay from the Iraqi Federal Government to repatriate it's subjects.

7 April, 2021 03:03

HASAKA

After two years of rejection by the Iraqi Federal Government to repatriate it's subjects held at the al-Hol Camp, in eastern Hasaka, batches of Iraqis are set to leave soon.

According to latest statistics, 30738 Iraqi persons of 8256 families live in the camp, men, women and children.

The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria spared no efforts to send Iraqi refugees home more notably after Iraqi Forces took control of the whole territories, all attempts were met with rejection by the Iraqi Federal Government. The last of Iraqis to return home was at the end of 2018.

On March 11^th, 2019, Fabrizio Carboni, Regional Director, Near and Middle East at International Committee of the Red Cross, the ICRC, stated that in the few coming weeks around 20, 000 Iraqi refugees living in Syria and more notably in the3 al-Hol Camp would return home in conformity with an agreement with the Iraqi Government, nothing was changed on the ground.

On this, Member to the Departure Office in the al-Hol Camp, Munir Mohamed said that preparations are under way to exit Iraqi refugees from the camp after the Iraqi Government okayed to repatriate 500 families.

'' based on the coordination between the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria and the Iraqi Government it has been okayed that 500 Iraqi families will exit the camp, on batches, now identities of those referred to the Iraqi Government in 2018 are under verification'', Munir said.

''After verification and receiving security permission, 100 families would exit the camp in the coming days, until all the 500 families exit'', he added.

The decision was met with content of Iraqis as they converged since the early hours of the day of the Departure Offices expressing their thanks to the camp's administration for the efforts exerted.

Hasasn Ali Yasin from Salahadine says '' at the camp's request we went to the Departure Office for those willing Iraqis to return home to register their names and verify information''.

Maryam Hesen from Mosul says :'' we enrolled our names to return home, we just want to return to Iraq, to our families and relatives there''.

At the Departure Office, Hasan Abad Ali, from Anbar, awaits the approval of the Iraqi Government to return home with his family, as their names were not given okay by the Iraqi Government.

L.A.

ANHA