IDPs in N. E. Syria between a rock and a hard place

After the outbreak of the Syrian revolution in 2011, millions of the Syrian people from all regions and components were displaced for fear of wars that devoured many homes and destroyed many cities, but after the liberation of North and East Syria from ISIS terrorism, the region enjoyed stability and security that made hundreds of thousands of displaced people flow.

However, the policy of Russia, Turkey and the Syrian government pursued these displaced people even for their livelihood, including the Russian veto to close Tel Koçer (Al Yaroubiya) crossing, so that the aid to Syria is limited to the crossings and roads controlled by the Damascus government, none of which is provided to North and East Syria.

To learn more about the reality of the displaced in the regions of North and East Syria Syria, our agency met with the co-chair of the Social Affairs and Labor Authority, Farouk Al-Mashi and the head of the Office of Displaced Persons and Refugees, Sheikhmus Ahmed, who confirmed that the closure of the crossings and the siege had a negative impact on the region in general and the displaced persons in particular.

Sheikhmus explained that the situation of the displaced, especially in the summer, is very tragic and is considered a humanitarian disaster in all regions, especially in al-Jazira region, which contains the largest number of displaced people in the regions of North and East Syria.

The camps of North and East Syria host displaced people from the countryside of Aleppo, Homs, Damascus, Deir ez-Zor, Idlib and other areas, not to mention Iraqi refugees, and camps housing families of ISIS mercenaries. In addition, hundreds of thousands of people were displaced from Afrin, Serêkaniyê, and occupied Girê Spî / Tel Abyad, as a result of the Turkish occupation attacks in 2018-2019 on the region.

Sheikhmus Ahmed added, "Turkey has cut off the water of Alouk Station to Hasaka and Tal Tamer, which have embraced more than 100,000 displaced people from Tal Abyad / Girê Spî, and Ras al-Ain / Serê Kaniyê, as well as the displaced people who came from the Syrian interior from the countryside of Deir ez-Zor and the Damascus areas, in addition to Al-Hol camp, which contains more than 60,000 displaced people, most of whom are Iraqis and families of ISIS mercenaries.

Siege and closure of crossings threaten IDPs lives

Sheikhmus Ahmed stressed that there is a humanitarian catastrophe as a result of the closure of the crossings by the UN Security Council in 2019 as a result of Russia's use of its veto to prevent the entry of aid from Tel Koçer crossing, adding: "It is primarily a political issue as a result of agreements between Russia, Turkey and the Syrian regime."

Al-Ahmad continued his speech by saying: "There is also suffering experienced by the displaced people of Afrin in al-Shahba due to the siege imposed on them by the Turkish occupation state and its mercenaries on the one hand and by the Syrian regime on the other."

Al-Ahmad stated, “Aid is very little in al-Shahba, especially that the number of displaced people is very large, there are health problems and a lack of medicines in all camps, and the Corona pandemic is still going on at the present time and there are infections in the camps, in addition to the large number of children suffering from nutritional deficiency due to the lack of infant formula.”

Al-Ahmad pointed out that the failure of the United Nations to adopt camps for the displaced from Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ain who were displaced from their homes due to the Turkish occupation’s invasion of their areas aggravated the situation of the displaced, adding, “The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria bore the greatest burden and could not provide all services to all the displaced in their areas, and humanitarian organizations and the United Nations must provide services to these displaced people.”

Al-Ahmad noted that the total number of regular camps in the regions of north and east Syria is 15 camps in all regions, including 6 camps in Al-Jazira region, which host the largest number of displaced people and refugees, namely the camps of “Al-Hol, Al-Aresha, Roj, Nowruz, Serêkaniyê, and Washokani.”

Al-Ahmad added that in al-Shahba canton, there are 5 camps, which are “Barkhadan, Sardam, al-Awda, Afrin and al-Shahba, and a camp for the displaced people of Girê Spi, which was opened after Turkey’s occupation of the city of Girê Spi, in the town of Tal al-Saman south of Raqqa city, and al-Mahmoudli camp in al-Tabqa city, and two camps in the city of Manbij, for the displaced people fleeing from the countryside of Aleppo and Idlib.”

More than a million displaced

Hundreds of random camps are spread in the countryside of Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, Tabqa, and Manbij, and the displaced people from al-Shahba region, most of them fleeing the conflict areas between the armed factions and the Syrian government forces.

Al-Ahmad appealed to the World Health Organization to extend a helping hand to the displaced in the camps and to support the establishment of hospitals in the camps that contain burn departments and a section to support the health sector in the camps in general.

Sheikhmus Ahmed concluded his speech, "We hope the Security Council, the United Nations, the Arab League and the European Union will work to open the Tel Koçer crossing and put pressure on Turkey to restore the water level of the Euphrates River to its previous level and operate the Allouk water station."

The Social Affairs Authority in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria had conducted field trips to local administrations to learn more about the reality of the camps, and in this regard, our agency, the co-chair of the authority, Farouk Al-Mashi, confirmed that the conditions of the displaced are getting worse during this period.

Farouk Al-Mashi indicated that the authority appeals to the United Nations to ease the burden on the Autonomous Administration and help the displaced, adding: "During meetings with the United Nations, we always demand to intensify humanitarian aid."

Farouk Al-Mashi concluded his speech by saying, "We are trying hard to establish future projects to support the displaced and the people in the regions of North and East Syria and to help the poorest and low-income regions to improve the situation of the displaced in the region in general."

J.O

ANHA