IDPs in Raqqa Camps struggle with worn tents, scorching sun
Dahiya Al-Hamoud (60 years old) tried to sew tattered fabrics she had placed over her tent to mitigate the impact of the sun’s scorching heat entering her shelter, but this was not a solution to the suffering endured in informal camps.
Residents of informal camps in Raqqa Canton complain about the deterioration of most of their tents, often made of fabric or plastic covers, due to prolonged use without replacement and exposure to harsh weather conditions in summer and winter.
Al-Hamoud lives with her husband (65 years old) in the Sahilat Al-Banat camp, northeast of Raqqa city, for about eight years after leaving her hometown of Maadan in the southeastern countryside of Raqqa during clashes between the former regime forces and ISIS mercenaries.
She told ANHA Agency that she has been trying for days to repair her tent, as most residents of Sahilat Al-Banat camp do, but to no avail. The high heat of the sun continues to penetrate the tents, affecting the health of residents, especially children and the elderly.
Similar Stories Across Camps
The stories are similar in Sahilat Al-Banat and other informal camps in Raqqa, where support from organizations has significantly decreased recently, alongside limited capabilities of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, due to the presence of hundreds of thousands of displaced and forcibly displaced people in the region.
Rabia Al-Ramadan (60 years old), displaced from the southern countryside of Aleppo, tries to repair what remains of her tent after spending years in it since arriving in the area during military operations under the former regime’s rule and its attempts to reclaim areas that slipped out of its control after the crisis erupted.
Rabia told ANHA Agency that the tent she lives in has lost even the name “tent,” gradually turning into tattered fabric that neither shields from summer heat nor protects from winter cold, with conditions worsening as temperatures rise.
The sixty-year-old woman repeated the phrase “fire… fire” to convey that the sun’s heat striking the residents inside these tents is unbearable for children, the elderly, or even young people; no one can endure the weather’s heat without physical harm.
Residents of Sahilat Al-Banat camp reported recurring health issues among children and the elderly due to rising temperatures at the start of summer, such as fainting, exhaustion, intestinal infections, and dehydration in children, as well as high blood pressure or low blood sugar among the elderly.
The Situation is Extremely Bad
Displaced people in Sahilat Al-Banat camp confirmed that the situation has become unbearable, demanding improvements in the conditions of the camp and others before temperatures intensify, especially since summer is still in its early stages.
Mousa Al-Ali (60 years old), displaced from Maadan, said the situation in the camp is going from bad to worse due to continuously rising temperatures, while tattered tents offer no protection from weather fluctuations and intense summer heat.
He added that what frightens residents of Sahilat Al-Banat and other camps is that summer is only beginning, with July, August, and even September being the hottest months, where temperatures often exceed 40°C by five or six degrees.
Around 1,300 people live in Sahilat Al-Banat camp, most originating from the countryside of Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor, Aleppo, Hama, and Homs, having arrived in the area during clashes between the former regime and ISIS mercenaries between 2017 and 2018.
Raqqa has over 40 informal camps spread across its northern, southern, eastern, and western countryside, in addition to several official camps. The camp and displaced affairs office in the city’s Executive Council monitors the affairs of the displaced within the available resources of the Autonomous Administration and its institutions.
Ahmed Al-Ahmed, supervisor of the camp affairs office in the Social Affairs and Labor Authority in Raqqa, said the number of informal camps in the city has reached 44, housing 9,141 families, totaling 58,000 individuals.
He added that the services currently provided by the Autonomous Administration include daily bread distribution to camp residents, coordination with the organizations’ office in Raqqa to provide relief and other services to the displaced, and discussions with the province’s fuel directorate to distribute heating diesel to families in informal camps.
He noted that non-governmental organizations, in coordination with the organizations’ office in Raqqa’s Executive Council, are providing cash cards worth $120 to residents of 14 camps in the city’s countryside, in addition to vocational education services, livelihood opportunities (small projects), drinking water distribution, and some recreational activities for children.
Al-Ahmed mentioned that the camp affairs office conducted a census of the displaced, through which they received an accredited card for distributing bread, heating diesel, and services provided by NGOs, in addition to efforts to merge smaller camps into larger ones to facilitate service delivery.
He expressed hope that agreements regarding the return of displaced and forcibly displaced people would be implemented to alleviate their burden, ensure their safe return, and provide services.
ANHA