Government plans to move al-Hol residents to Aleppo countryside

The UNHCR representative in Syria, Gonzalo Vargas Llosa, said in a statement that the agency had “observed a significant decrease in the camp’s population in recent weeks.” He added that the Syrian interim government had informed the agency of its plans to transfer the remaining residents to in the countryside of Aleppo, and requested UNHCR’s support in assisting residents at the new camp. He confirmed the agency’s readiness to provide the required support.

The statement noted that UNHCR will continue to support the return and reintegration of Syrians who have left al-Hol camp, as well as those who remain there.

The statement did not clarify how residents left or how many remain in the camp. However, it is believed that many residents departed during the chaos that followed the interim government’s takeover of the camp after the withdrawal of late last month, or shortly thereafter.

No official statement has yet been issued by the government, and the government’s spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment, according to the newspaper .

The camp had housed around 24,000 people, including approximately 15,000 Syrians and more than 6,300 foreign women and children from 42 nationalities, amid continued refusal by most of their home countries to repatriate them. Footage and field testimonies showed nearly empty streets in some sections of the camp, amid uncertainty surrounding the fate of hundreds of families who had been living there.

The camp and surrounding areas have witnessed security tensions in recent weeks, alongside repeated smuggling operations involving ISIS families. Video tape showed gunfire around the camp, reportedly used as a diversion to facilitate the evacuations.

ANHA