Rojava hosts 325 Iraqi refugees

34 Iraqi families from Da’esh-held Mosul reached the Kurdish town of Ras al-Ayn (Sari Kani) in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava).

QAMISHLO, Syrian Kurdistan (K24) – On Wednesday, 34 Iraqi families from the Da’esh-held Iraqi city of Mosul reached the Kurdish town of Ras al-Ayn (Sari Kani) in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava) in northeast Syria.

Last month, in the village of Mabrouka (40 kilometers or 25 miles west of Sari Kani), the Autonomous Administration of Rojava established an IDP (Internally Displaced Peoples) camp and recently opened the camp to 325 Iraqi refugees who fled from Da’esh (IS)-held territories, including Mosul.

Suleiman Abdul Aziz, the manager of Mabrouka camp, told K24 on Thursday, “The Jazira Canton Administration provides the camp with food and other living requirements, including, mattresses, blankets, clothes, as well as  tents.”

“The camp hosted about 700 IDPs from Da’esh-held areas in north Syria, particularly from Raqqa and Deir el-Zor, and now there are also about 325 Iraqi refugees,” Abdul Aziz added, noting that several humanitarian organizations provided the camp with tents for the newly-arrived refugees.

Abdul Aziz pointed out that due to the lack of sewage services and tents, the Jazira Canton Administration will move some families to Roj camp, in the countryside of the Kurdish town of Al-Malikiyah (Derik) in northeast Syria.

“We [Autonomous Administration of Rojava] appeal to civil society, human rights, and UN organizations to support and provide urgent help and necessary needs to refugees and IDPs not only in this camp but also in the other two camps in Rojava: Roj and Newroz,” Abdul Aziz said.

Dahawy Abdullah, a 45-year-old Iraqi refugee from Mosul living in the camp, said, “Although it is very cold here and the camp lacks winter equipment, we are secure here [in Rojava].”

Many other refugees in Mabrouka camp refused to talk to media agencies because they said they were still afraid of Da’esh.

Safwan, an Iraqi refugee who preferred to remain unidentified since his relatives are still in Mosul said, “I paid a lot of money to Da’esh to let us leave Mosul. I feel safe with my family, and authorities here [in Rojava] are doing their best,” he added.

It is worth mentioning that the number of Iraqi refugees and Syrian IDPs is steadily increasing as much of Syrian Kurdistan is considered the most secure areas of the country. 

 

Reporting by Hisham Arafat

Editing by Benjamin Kweskin

(Ekrem Salih contributed to this report from Sari Kani)