IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – The Syrian Salvation Government is accused of stealing food baskets and appointing corrupt persons in the administrations of camps under their control in northwestern Syria.
Idlib’s camps, on the Syrian-Turkish border, and held by Hayat Tahrir Sham (HTS, formerly al-Nusra Front), house more than a million displaced people who fled from different conflict zones in Syria.
The camp’s administration, who are part of Syrian Salvation Government (a Syrian opposition government backed by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, seen as illegitimate by the Syrian Interim Government) manages organizing and monitoring the NGOs and relief charities that are working in its areas.
Yasser Hamawi, displaced in Karamah camp in northern countryside of Idlib, said that the manager of the camp has removed his family’s name from food baskets recipient list after he filed a complaint with camp administration.
“My complain was in vain, because the camp manager had a strong relationship with the Salvation Government,” Hamawi added.
He further explained that the camp manager used to punish those who filed complaints against him by depriving them of aid and food baskets, adding, ”The displaced are accusing the manager of being a thief, but they can’t prove that.”
In August, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights accused the Salvation Government of manipulating contracts and NGO aid for IDPs for their own benefit.
Abu Hamza (a pseudonym), a displaced person from Karamah camp, said that the IDPs whose names have been removed from the relief lists do not have enough to buy even a loaf of bread, adding, “On the other hand, there are those who own cars and shops, and they get food baskets and other things like any poor family.”
He said that camp directors delete their names and add fake names with fake data and make their own lists.
“Being a camp director makes you rich in few months; only those who enjoy nepotism in camp administration are designated,” Abu Hamza added.
Wael Shami, an aid activist in the Atma camps, said, “Everyone knows and witnesses the corruption of camp managers in northern Syria, but they refuse to admit it.”
Shami added that the association that he worked with recently in the Atma camps revealed forged personal data, which turned out to be mostly related to the camp manager.
When the association notified the camp director of this matter, he refused to admit it, which prompted them to deprive the entire camp of its aid after that incident, according to Sami.
Shami accused the Salvation Government of standing by the camp directors and participating in the corruption that occurs in the camps.
A director from Karamah camp revealed to North Press that all camp directors falsify the beneficiaries’ personal data and exchange them with fake names to obtain additional benefits.
The director, who defused to be identified, said that the Salvation Government allowed camp managers to defraud humanitarian organizations by falsifying the beneficiaries’ data.
He pointed out that these allocations do not belong to the camp managers only, but rather they share it with the camp administration operating under the umbrella of the Salvation Government.