UN calls for action on Al-Hol refugee camp in Syria

By Ali Jawad

BAGHDAD (AA) – The United Nations on Saturday called for solving the crisis of the Al-Hol refugee camp in eastern Syria.

"There must be a comprehensive and decisive action in the file of the Al-Hol camp, as there are 30,000 Iraqis who have ties to Daesh/ISIS and some of their victims are in Al-Hol camp and their conditions are poor," Jeanine Antoinette Plasschaert, the head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), told a conference organized by the Iraqi government in the capital Baghdad.

Run by the YPG/PKK terror group, Al-Hol camp is home to families of suspected Daesh/ISIS members.

Civilians held at the camp, which was established in 2017, struggle to survive under inhumane conditions. Unhygienic sinks, shower cabins, expired food, torn tents, and lack of access to medicines and health care are some of the major problems facing the residents.

UNAMI provides assistance to the Iraqi government in various fields, most notably in fighting terrorist organizations and the resettlement of displaced civilians.

Plasschaert said three out of five in Al-Hol camp lack “the most basic rights, including education."

"The current situation in Al-Hol camp is unstable, and keeping people in this situation constitutes a major threat and danger," she warned.

The UNAMI head also reiterated UN readiness to provide humanitarian support to Iraq to receive more Iraqis from Al-Hol camp.

According to the UN, the camp has a capacity of 10,000 people. However, more than 70,000 people are held there with the majority being women and children.

*Writing by Ibrahim Mukhtar in Ankara