A brief look at living conditions in the Al-Hol camp
At least 100 people — almost all small children — have died in recent days traveling out of the war zone or in the al-Hol camp controlled by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Voice of America (VOA) reported citing the International Rescue Committee.
According to the report, hundreds more children are suffering from acute malnutrition and trauma in a crisis that has strained the camp to the “breaking point.”
The camp does not have needed conditions to receive new arrivals. Over 5,000 more tents are lacking.
“Even before the most recent influx of people, life was harsh in al-Hol. Families were crowded into leaking tents without insulation or heat, as winter temperatures dropped below freezing. It was difficult to find a mother without at least one sick child,” the VOA article reads.
The reports went further saying that the situation in the camp has always been complicated and is not likely going to improve soon.
It’s interesting to point out that the report came amid the final phase of the SDF operation against the remaining ISIS positions in the Euphrates Valley. In the course of the operation, multiple ISIS members and ISIS-linked persons as well as civilians were “evacuated” from the area by US-backed forces and then transfered to SDF-controlled camps in northeastern Syria. The poor humanitarian situation in these camps as well as a high number of ISIS-linked persons there pose a serious security threat to the SDF-controlled area.
