Introduction:
In the Mabroukeh Camp[1], west of the Ras al-Ayen/Sari Kani City in al-Hasakah Province, northeast Syria, thousands of internally displaced persons/IDPs continue to suffer from extremely severe humanitarian conditions, especially with winter being around the corner, not to mention the almost non-existent healthcare services they are offered. According to testimonies obtained by Syrians for Truth and Justice/ST, 10 children at least were recorded as having developed malnutrition[2], in addition to 40% of the camp’s child population which is tormented by acute diarrhea in October 2018 alone. These extreme medical cases are the result of the deteriorating humanitarian conditions and the shutting down of two medical posts —the first, United Nations Children’s Fund /UNICEF-affiliated, was closed in August 2018, and the second, World Health Organization/WHO-associated, was stopped from offering services in October 2018.
The agony of the camp’s residents is not limited to healthcare alone, for many of the residents are maltreated by the Autonomous Administration-associated Camp Authority/Management, not to mention that some of the IDPs, who demanded services, were accused of affiliation to the Islamic State/ISIS, which is acronymed Daesh in Arabic, as several witnesses reported to STJ in late October 2018.
According to STJ’s field researcher, the Mabroukeh Camp incubates (2123) internally displaced persons[3], the majority of whom is from Deir ez-Zor Province, who fled the military action[4] witnessed by their areas in massive waves, seeking a shelter in the camps of the Autonomous Administration-held Northern Syria. The children, the researcher pointed out, constitute the class most affected by the diseases spreading in the camp, for they form 50% of its population, many of whom have to deal with diarrhea, given the lacking medical care within the camp and the scarce food aid the people are provided, not to mention that they are coerced into making houses of shredded inhabitable tents. Together, these conditions, steered the camp’s population to hold a demonstration on October 18, 2018, on which they called on the United Nations/UN and other international organizations, demanding that they step in and better the living and healthcare reality in the camp.
In May 2018, the Mabroukeh Camp bore witness to the death of a child and the deteriorating health of eight other displaced persons, who were all affected by food poisoning. In the same month, several cases were rushed to the camp’s medical center, who suffered from food poisoning, only a few days after expired food aid was distributed to the camp’s population.[5]
In December 2017, the camp’s population was also saddened by the death of three children, who were affected by cold and shortage of medical services.[6]
Reportedly, the areas in northern and eastern Syria, held by the Autonomous Administration, are a location to more than 10 IDP camps, including those of al-Hawl, Roj, Nowruz, Mabroukeh, al-Shadadi/al-Sad, Ain Issa, Mashta Nour, al-Twaihneh and al-Karameh, among others. The population of these camps, however, is made mostly of Syrian internally displaced persons and a number of Iraqi refugees. These camps are administratively run by the Autonomous Administration while they are managed by non-governmental organization, both local and international, on the level of services. Addressing a few aspects of the service reality of these camps, STJ published a detailed factsheet on December 17, 2017.[7]
You may read and download the full report in PDF format by clicking here.
[1] The Mabroukeh Camp is located in the rural parts of the city of Ras al-Ayen/Sari Kani, al-Hasakah Province, about 40 kilometers away from its center and more to the west. It was founded on January 28, 2016 by the Autonomous Administration, which still runs its affairs under the supervision of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees/UNHCR.
[2] “Malnutrition remains one of the most serious health problems in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. It is the single biggest contributor to child mortality: 15% of the global burden of newborn and child mortality occurs in countries of the Region.” WHO. http://www.emro.who.int/health-topics/malnutrition/index.html.
[3] These statistics, obtained by STJ from the camp’s management, are indicative of the camp’s population up to early November 2018.
[4] On September 9, 2017, the Deir ez-Zor Military Council, operating under the Syrian Democratic Forces/SDF, declared the start of the military operation decoded Jazira Storm, backed by the US-led coalition, which sought to take over the last of ISIS strongholds in the Syrian Jazira region, the area east of the Euphrates River and the eastern rural parts of Deir ez-Zor City. In July 2017, the Syrian regular forces, for their part, have announced a military operation in Deir ez-Zor as well, as to rid of the militants of ISIS, stationed in the west of the Euphrates River. These operations were accompanied by brutal aerial shelling, launched by the Russian and Syrian warplanes, in addition to the airstrikes which the US-led coalition embarked on. The military action, thus, sent daily massive numbers of Deir ez-Zor’s people out of their houses on a flight of displacement.
[5] “Food Poisoning Kills a Child and Hit eight others in Mabrouka Camp west of Ras al-Ayn/ Sari Kani City.” STJ, June 15, 2018. Last visited: November 18, 2019. https://stj-sy.org/en/575/.
[6] “Cold and Shortage of Medical Services Cause Death of Three Children in Mabrouka Camp.” STJ, January 20, 2018. Last visited: November 18, 2019. https://stj-sy.org/en/387/.
[7] “Fact Sheet on Camps for ‘the Internally Displaced’ Located in Autonomous-Administered Areas in Northern Syria.” STJ, December 17, 2017. Last visited: November 18, 2019. https://stj-sy.org/en/361/.