IDP from Deir ez-Zor between a rock and a hard place
Ahmad Ali an IDP lives in al-Arisha camp in the south of Hasakah, northeast Syria, amid a sandstorm – North Press
HASAKAH, Syria (North Press) – In a scene reduces the whole humanitarian reality that represents those left their houses, Ahmad Ali hurries up to his tent to avert storm carrying sand, sacks and cartoons that sweeps everything.
Upon reaching the tent, Ahmad Ali, 51, found his tent partially torn apart and poles destroyed owing to winds, “In God we trust,” he says.
Ali, an IDP from Deir ez-Zor who resides in al-Arisha camp in the south of Hasakah, said, “The IDP is the one who pays the heaviest price, our situation is catastrophic. Had there been a place better than the camp, we had not remained here. Have we had money, we have fled to another country.”
Under the tent that seems it cannot stand up to a second storm, Ali narrated his painful memories of the war which stranded his family to the al-Arisha camp in the southern countryside of Hasakah in 2017.
That was in October 2017, when shelling by Syrian government forces intensified on areas in Deir ez-Zor to expel the Islamic State Organization (ISIS). At the time, the idea to leave home had never occurred to Ali. However, one day, the house of a relative was bombarded by an aircraft, out of 13 persons just 4 survived. The occurrence was a turning point for Ali.
Ali recalled that difficult day, “It was at dawn prayers, when the plane bombarded the house of my relative. We found the father in the second floor, and his wife and a child were in a neighboring house. They were dead. Children were mutilated.”
For a moment, he stopped talking; his gestures implied that he found difficulties in reciting his painful plight. He jumped in memory to the details of another bombardment on another day which by no means was no less painful than the previous one. Three children had lost their lives.
At the time, Ali had no other options but to secure his family out of Deir ez-Zor, “It was very painful to leave home, job and land but there was no other option left.”
Just merely a tent
The destination was al-Arisha camp but owing to delay in admittance measures, the family spent three days in the open air.
Heart-brokenly Ali recalled those hard times, “We were just hoping to receive a tent to accommodate my family.”
The tent served as a living room, sitting room, kitchen and a bathroom. The war has scattered members of Ali’s families, “My family has been dispersed, each in a place.”
Al-Arisha camp which was established in 2017, accommodates thousands of IDP families that come from areas of Deir ez-Zor and the government-held Security Square in the city of Hasakah in addition to IDPs of Mabrouka camp which was evacuated in 2019 following the offensive by the Turkish forces and their affiliated armed opposition factions, also known as Syrian National Army (SNA), against Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) and Tel Abyad.
The camp used to be supported by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other INGOs. However after Tel Kocher (al-Yaroubiya) border crossing with Iraq was closed in mid-2020, the humanitarian situation began to deteriorate since the vast majority of aid was coming from the aforementioned crossing.
Right now, in relation to numbers, the IDPs suffer from lack of humanitarian aid. Most tents are torn letting in rain in the winter.
Their situation is a catastrophic one “We do not know where to go,” Ali said.
Uncertain future
Owing to suffering of the past years, Ali is concerned over the approach of winter. With the first drops of rain, water is let in.
Amid this terrible status of the affair, the IDPs find themselves between a rock and a hard place; either to stay in the camp and endure the situation or return to their home which is under the control of the Syrian government forces home to Iranian-backed militias too.
Over the past years, the man has never been adapted to his second abode and still hopes to return to his house. However, fears of arrest and the probability by his sons to join Iranian militias prevent him from doing so.
Added to this, his house is destroyed and all its contents have been stolen and seized by the Syrian forces operating in the region after expelling ISIS, as he told North Press.
Nonetheless, the current situation of Ali is a more disturbing one as his children have no studying, “They have no future under this tent.”
The man wishes the crisis be solved to return to his birthplace. However, this seems far-fetched as Iran seeks to recruit adults and children within its factions with the aim of Shiitization and other means to penetrate more in the social fabric in the east of the country, according to testimonies from east Deir ez-Zor.
After a five-year journey, Ali is all hope that European countries and the UN interfere to find a solution for the country’s crisis to be able, among others, to return home.
“Where are the European countries and the whole world? If an animal is hurt in Europe it brings attention but murder of Syrians has become a normal issue. Why the Syrian people are so disregarded by Arab countries and the world at large?” he wondered.