Repatriations from Syria's al-Hol, Roj camps continue at steady pace

CAIRO -- As countries step up to take responsibility for their citizens and bring them home from the Kurdish-controlled camps of al-Hol and Roj in northeastern Syria, security at these facilities is improving, camp officials said.

Kurdish authorities have repeatedly called on countries to repatriate their citizens from the crowded camps, of which al-Hol is the largest, though fearing security threats and political backlash, most have done so only sporadically.

Thousands of women and children from almost 60 countries, the relatives of "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) fighters, reside in al-Hol -- about 56,000 people in total.

The vast majority, about 29,000, are Iraqis. There are some 18,000 Syrians, with about 8,000 of other nationalities, who hail from countries in Europe, Asia and elsewhere in the region.

In response to violence inside the camp, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Kurdish internal security forces (Asayesh) recently conducted a sweeping security operation, the second of its kind within a year.

But officials have continued to stress that repatriation is vital, amid stepped up efforts to urge countries to pull their citizens from the camp and bear their share of the burden of responsibility for their care and rehabilitation.

This includes, where appropriate, affording them fair trials to ensure they are brought to justice for any actions that violate the law.

Last Wednesday (October 5), Germany announced the repatriation of 12 people from Roj camp, AFP reported.

The same day, French Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti announced that a total of 77 minors had been repatriated in seven operations, with another six returning to France from Iraq.

Tajikistan, Belgium and Iraq are among the nations that have repatriated some or all of their citizens from the Syrian camps this year.

'Children are not responsible'

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Wednesday announced that seven children and four women had returned to Germany. A teenage boy who had been taken to Syria aged 11 also was part of the group.

"I am relieved that this action has allowed us to close almost all the known cases," Baerbock said, referring to German citizens stuck in Syrian camps.

"I am especially relieved because the children are not responsible for their parents' fateful choices," she added, deeming it impossible to leave them "without a future in the camps of northeast Syria".

The German foreign ministry said the women and the teenager will have to "answer for their acts" and were detained upon their arrival in the country.

It said there was only one instance where an agreed repatriation had not been carried out yet, and that the mothers did not wish to return in the other cases.

The ministry said six operations have led to 76 minors and 26 women being repatriated from northeastern Syria to Germany to date.

The French government carried out a first major repatriation earlier this year. Following the announced repatriations, around 100 women and nearly 250 children are among the French citizens still in Syrian camps.

Australian media on October 3 reported that the government had decided to bring home about 20 Australian women and 40 children from the camps.

A spokesperson for Australia's Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil did not confirm the reported repatriation from al-Hol and Roj camps, saying only that the government would protect its citizens.

Efforts to maintain security

Workers in al-Hol and Roj camps told Al-Mashareq the SDF have succeeded in maintaining security and stemming the spread of extremist ideology.

The SDF, with the full support of the international coalition, is making "monumental" efforts to maintain security in the camps, Kurdish Red Crescent relief worker Nermin Othman said.

Maintaining security inside the camps and preventing new ISIS cells from forming and a resurgence of extremist ideology is accomplished through regular, comprehensive security operations, she said.

Roj camp houses foreign women and children from a number of countries, and is considered to be one of the safer camps, she said.

A re-screening of the families in al-Hol camp is currently under way to gradually transfer mothers and children to the Roj camp, Othman said, where a third section has been established to receive them.

This process aims to relieve the congestion in al-Hol, in addition to facilitating the process of screening foreign nationals in the Roj camp in preparation to hand them over to the authorities of their home countries.

SDF officer Farhad Khoja told Al-Mashareq that many countries have begun to take back their nationals, with handover operations taking place with logistical and security support from the international coalition.

Many countries have citizens in the camps, Syrian lawyer Bashir al-Bassam said, noting that these countries are responsible for caring for them on both the humanitarian and judicial levels.

"Though some countries have shirked their responsibilities, slowing down the process of repatriating their citizens," he added, "the camps are under control, despite occasional incidents."

Roj camp is considered safe, he said, and the SDF has not only maintained the security of the camp and its residents, but also has prevented the re-spread of the ISIS ideology, especially among children.