DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – Syrian government authorities decided, in coordination with the Damascus Governorate Council, to allow the residents of Yarmouk Camp to return to their homes on the 5th of October.
However, the camp’s residents feared the return of conditions imposed on them, as well as asking for an organizational chart that caused problems in establishing ownership.
Yarmouk camp, located south of Damascus, was established in the 1950s, and is the first and largest Palestinian refugee camp in Syria. The camp witnessed fierce battles during the Syrian crisis, during which various armed groups such as al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State (ISIS) took control of the camp.
Government forces regained control of the camp about two years ago, following Russian mediation that led to the transfer of 1,600 ISIS members and their families to areas in the Syrian Desert.
Dozens of Palestinian families recently submitted their identity papers to a Syrian security checkpoint at the entrance to al-Thalatheen Street to obtain security clearances to return to the camp.
Samir Jazairli, a member of the executive office of the Damascus Provincial Council, said, “We decided to allow all those who want to return to the camp, but under certain conditions to regulate the returning process.”
Jazairli added in press statements that the decision to return the camp residents to their homes came after the governorate received 2,900 requests to the camp’s new organizational chart.
The decision, issued on June 24, explains “the return of the population displaced by terrorism, under three conditions.”
These conditions include architectural and construction verification of the safety of buildings, obtaining security and civil approvals, and providing proof of ownership of the property.
A member of the provincial council stressed that their council, headed by the governor of Damascus Adel al-Olabi, decided to restore the former service headquarters inside the camp, and to organize it at the headquarters of the local committee.
He noted that the governorate began receiving requests for the return of residents, after coordination that had actually started in previous stages during the past months.
The governorate had received objections to the new organizational chart and decided to re-examine the file, especially since the new scheme brought with it a major change in the structure of the camp.
The objections followed the new scheme that included removing the old markets and replacing them with others, as well as the gardens, some public and private facilities, and prohibiting return collapsed homes that cannot be restored.
About 52% of the camp is destroyed, which is rejected by the General Authority for Refugees, who demanded the formation of a new joint committee between it and the governorate.
The General Authority for Refugees considers the percentage to be exaggerated.
Hamid Karak, a resident who objected to the statistics, told North Press, “We are afraid that conditional approval will be subject to their mood in dealing with us, and also in terms of proof of ownership.”
He added, “There are families who immigrated, and some of their members stayed here, but the property is in the name of a person who immigrated, so how will we return to our homes?”
Karak points out that the ownership of his house reverts back to his brother, who traveled to Sweden, and asks, “What shall we do in this case?”
Mamdouh Faraj, a lawyer from Damascus, told North Press that the entire land of the camp is considered state property, and that it is under the authority of the General Authority of the Arab Refugee Commission within Syria.
According to Faraj, the residents are facing a dilemma now, which is how they will get compensation given that they do not own the land.
He pointed out that the residents only own the buildings above it, and this matter is worrisome, as the governorate will evaluate the property at a very low price in contrast to market price.