Supporting refugees is a human and moral obligation, not an issue of political engagement
The peoples of northern and eastern Syria established Autonomous Administration out of their free will, and they spared themselves the consequences of armed conflict between the opposition forces and the Syrian regime, and also by insisting on freedom and a decent life. It managed to defeat the ISIS terrorist organization and liberated all of its regions from black terrorism, and achieved security and safety in its regions, unlike what other Syrian regions witnessed and witnessed. Therefore, these areas became a safe haven for Syrians fleeing bombing, killing and armed conflicts, and also became a refuge for many Iraqis who fled from terrorism. ISIS.
There are seventeen camps for the displaced in northern and eastern Syria so far, which house hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people and refugees, including special camps for ISIS mercenaries detained by the Syrian Democratic Forces and families of the organization, women and children, and the burden of providing services and assistance to these refugees falls on the countries of the whole world, but the decisions The politicized international community has made democratic self-administration alone in the face of this humanitarian crisis, and although the camps that house the elements and families of ISIS, such as Al-Hol refugee camp, are considered an international responsibility, the democratic self-management bears the bulk of the risks and difficulties in these The camps alone, the Turkish threats and the attacks on the northern and eastern regions of Syria increase this human tragedy and give the opportunity to escape ISIS elements from the camps and thus revive the organization, which is a threat to the whole world.
On the UN decision regarding humanitarian and relief aid, the conditions of refugees and displaced persons in camps in northern and eastern Syria, the fate of ISIS detainees and their families present in the camps, and what the world and especially the international coalition to fight ISIS have obligations and obligations with regard to refugees and camps, and other topics The Democratic Union newspaper conducted a dialogue With (Shekhmus Ahmad) Director of the Office of Displaced and Refugee Affairs in northern and eastern Syria, the dialogue was as follows:
how do you see the decision issued by the United Nations that permits the entry of humanitarian and relief aid through the border crossings in the areas under Turkish occupation only and thus depriving the regions of northeastern Syria of this aid despite the large numbers of refugees, displaced persons and camps in the region? And put the relief file in the hands of Turkey and the Syrian regime?
The resolution issued by the UN Security Council regarding determining the Syrian border crossings from which humanitarian aid will enter the regions of northern and eastern Syria, and preventing their entry from the border areas of the autonomous regions and limiting their entry from the crossings of the regions occupied by Turkey is a purely political decision approved by the Russian Federation in coordination with Turkey And its passage in the UN Security Council by using its veto power, and this decision aims to put pressure on the Autonomous Administration of democracy in northern and eastern Syria and subjugate it, on the one hand, and to transfer all this aid to the Syrian regime because of the US economic blockade. Roud him, and the implementation of this decision will lead to a humanitarian catastrophe in the regions of northern and eastern Syria because it houses hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees and displaced people and the majority of them need humanitarian assistance, primarily medical needs of medicines and milk for children, as well as there are families of ISIS fighters in Al-Houl and Roj camps and these families Also in need of international assistance, and this UN decision may create a state of chaos and security chaos within the camps, especially the Al-Hawl camps and promoted by ISIS, which works in an organized manner in coordination with some international and regional parties, especially Turkey, in order to create chaos in the brain Therefore, the escaping of the ISIS families to other Syrian regions and to the Turkish interior, as there are huge numbers of leaders of the terrorist organization within the ranks of the so-called Syrian National Army that is run by Turkey and supported by it, which occupies areas of northern and eastern Syria, and the number of these leaders is estimated at 148 terrorists And their families are in Al-Hol camp.
Regarding the conditions of Al-Hol camp, there are plans and projects presented to the international parties, especially the international coalition to fight ISIS, headed by the United States of America and the European Union countries, regarding the organization of the camp in terms of security and sectors as well as the screening of nationalities and the collection and isolation of orphan children in order to return them to their countries, and negotiations are ongoing with those parties, There have been many attempts and killings in the camp by ISIS and reached 26 murders of Syrians, Iraqis and foreigners, and the families of the organization have opened ideological training centers for terrorist ideology in Al-Hawl camp, and there are also continuous attempts to smuggle this world Women from the camp are planning by the Turkish intelligence to the areas occupied by the Turkish army, Idlib, Jarablus and others, especially since the leader of ISIS Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and his aides were in the areas of the Turkish occupation before they were killed, and this indicates the close relationship between the terrorist organization and the Turkish state, and in general we can say That Al-Hol camp needs international support in terms of reorganizing it again, and in terms of security, logistical and aid, in addition to psychological support for children who exceed 65% of the residents of Al-Hol camp, and failure to rehabilitate these children will pose a great danger not to areas The north and east of Syria only, but rather over the regions of the world as a whole, since these children receive ideological training in the ideas of ISIS and call themselves (the Cubs of the caliphate), and leaving them in this situation will lead in the future to a great danger to world peace and security.
Are local organizations operating in the north and east of Syria playing any role in caring for and rehabilitating these children, and are there plans to address this?
There are local and international organizations working in Al-Hol camp and providing psychological support to these children, but the numbers of children are large and the capacity of these organizations is not enough to cover all these numbers, and therefore this project needs great international support, especially by the United Nations and the international coalition so that we can eliminate the thought ISIS planted in the minds of these children.
It would be nice if we had learned about the conditions of the (Washokani) camp, which contains the emigrant of Sri Kaneh and Kari Sbe, and what are the bodies that provide assistance to these displaced people?
(Washakani camp) was equipped by the Democratic Autonomous Administration for Northern and Eastern Syria, and no organization or external party has supported Autonomous Administration in preparing the camp, and the number of displaced people in the camp exceeded seven thousand people, and the maximum capacity of the camp is 13 thousand people, although work continues By the Autonomous Administration to secure all the requirements of the camp, but due to weather conditions, the winter and the lack of basic materials to build the camps and the limited capabilities of self-management, the camp is still not fully equipped and there are many aspects of default, and dozens of families were accommodated in reception tents (a large tent), and also There are ten The families want to live in the camp, but there are no tents to house them, and there is also no support by international organizations, especially the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, because of the decision issued by the Syrian regime through the governor of Hasaka not to provide support to the displaced people in (Washokani) and (Tel Al-Saman) camps For the displaced of (Sri Kanyeh) and (Kari Sibei), most of the aid provided to these IDPs is provided by the Democratic Autonomous Administration and some local and international organizations only.
Has Democratic Autonomous Administration made an appeal in this regard to international organizations to fulfill their duty?
We have appealed to those organizations and we continue to appeal to them in order to carry out their duties in providing support and assistance to refugees and displaced persons in our regions, and meetings took place between us and these bodies, especially the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and international organizations, in order to return to work in the areas of Democratic Autonomous Administration and start providing support and assistance to the displaced, as the numbers are very large And there is a need for medicines, baby formula, winter clothing, tents and heaters because we are in the winter and the burden is great on Democratic Autonomous Administration alone, and some international organizations have responded to the appeal of Democratic Autonomous Administration and returned to their work In our regions, their activities were activated in the camps (Ishokani and Tel Al Samen) and outside them, but some international organizations that were working in our areas and went out did not respond to our appeal.
Are these organizations politicized?
There are organizations linked to regional bodies that exert pressure on them in order not to activate their activities and work in the regions of northern and eastern Syria, and the first of these bodies is Turkey, and there are organizations that are pressured by the Syrian regime and Russia in order not to carry out their activities and activities in the regions of northern and eastern Syria, in order to achieve Its political goals by exerting pressure on the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North, East and Syria and submitting to the will and demands of those parties.
Will the Democratic Autonomous Administration be subject to these pressures?
the Democratic Autonomous Administration for northern and eastern Syria does not deal with the humanitarian file as a political file, but rather does its humanitarian duty towards the displaced and refugees to the fullest extent, and will continue to provide support and assistance to refugees and displaced persons, whether or not international or UNHCR assisted them, because this is considered a humanitarian and moral obligation, and will continue In her humanitarian work.
How did Democratic Autonomous Administration help these displaced people? What are the services that were provided to them?
With regard to the internally displaced persons, as a result of the conflict between the Syrian regime and the armed opposition factions, camps were opened for them and the Democratic Autonomous Administration continues to support them, and the number of camps in the north and east regions of Syria was 15 camps, and as a result of the Turkish invasion of Sir Kani and Kari Saba, the the Democratic Autonomous Administration established two other camps, namely ( Ashwakani and Tal Al-Samen), which are distributed throughout the geography of northern and eastern Syria, and also thousands of displaced Iraqis have sought refuge in the the Democratic Autonomous Administration areas of northern and eastern Syria, and as the Democratic Autonomous Administration they continue to provide support to them in all aspects, whether it is health, logistical or psychological, and all that It entails obligations, including equipping camp floors and setting up tents, as well as organizations licensed by and close to the Democratic Autonomous Administration that do their work day and night to secure deficiencies and avoid mistakes due to the circumstance that occurred due to the Turkish attack on the northern and eastern regions of Syria, during which hundreds of thousands of people were displaced.
What is the responsibility of the international coalition to fight ISIS in terms of relief and refugee support?
Through our meetings with the international coalition, led by the United States of America, we stressed that the camps in northern and eastern Syria and refugees are also their responsibility, since we were partners in the fight against ISIS, and we won the organization militarily and geographically, and as a result of the battles we fought together against the organization, tens of thousands of Syrians were displaced To our regions, in addition to the thousands of Iraqis and families of the terrorist organization who were accommodated in the Al-Hawl and Roj camps, and therefore the international coalition, and in particular the United States of America, is obligated to help the Democratic Self-Administration in this matter, and it was agreed to provide support by For an international alliance and the United States to Democratic Autonomous Administration.
Recently, the Pentagon announced the activation of the pace of military operations with the SDF against ISIS cells in northern and eastern Syria. What is your reading of this announcement from a humanitarian point of view?
After the victory over ISIS in the battle of Al-Baghouz, there were still sleeper cells for ISIS that could not activate their operations in those areas, but after the Turkish attack on the regions of northern and eastern Syria, the frequency of terrorist acts of these cells increased, and they were active in particular, especially in the areas of Deir Al-Zor, and carried out attacks on the camps In northern and eastern Syria, where ISIS families are present, and to complete the tasks of the international coalition in ending ISIS completely in cooperation with the SDF, these sleeping cells of the organization must be eliminated, so that they cannot organize themselves again with regional support as happened in the world Iraq, and in the north and east of Syria, the implementation of those cells assassinations and terrorist attacks, so the Pentagon has decided to re-activate the US agreement between Syria’s democratic forces to eliminate those cells so as not to be able to revive the terrorist organization and attack the area.
Will the international coalition and America support the issue of ISIS detainees held by the Syrian Democratic Forces?
The issue of ISIS detainees held by the Syrian Democratic Forces is an international file, and the Democratic Autonomous Administration alone cannot prosecute these people and determine their fate or continue to detain them, and this file needs international support, especially by the countries participating in the international coalition to fight ISIS, and pressure must be exerted on countries that have Mercenaries detained by the the Democratic Autonomous Administration are elements of the terrorist organization ISIS, and there are projects in the near future to establish an international court to try these mercenaries, provided that the trial takes place in the autonomous areas of northern and eastern Syria.
Prepared – The Democratic Union Newspaper
