DEIR EZ-ZOR, Syria (North Press) – Wadha al-Hamad leaves in the early morning to search for empty soda cans and plastic bottles that she can sell to recycling factories in order to obtain some money to buy food for her children.
Wadha, 45, an IDP, lives in the Hawaij Bu Masaa camp, a makeshift settlement in western Deir ez-Zor. She and thousands of other IDPs in the region face living and economic hardships.
The IDPs in the Deir ez-Zor makeshift camps suffer “very severe” humanitarian, economic, and living conditions, she says. Meanwhile, the lack of support, the deteriorating value of the Syrian pound, the lack of job opportunities, and harsh weather conditions aggravate the IDPs’ suffering.
Al-Hamad, a widow and mother of five, lives off the aid provided by humanitarian organizations, in addition to the money she makes of collecting empty bottles.
Since the camps do not have schools, al-Hamad cannot send her children to schools in nearby villages.
The recent floods the region has witnessed have increased the widow’s suffering as the dilapidated tent she lives in does not protect her and her children from the harsh cold weather. Like other IDPs, she cannot afford to buy heating oil from the black market.
Officials of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) have called for support from humanitarian organization.
Another IDP with similar circumstances, Khider al-Ali, 50, living in Mihemede makeshift camp in western Deir ez-Zor, struggles to secure his family’s basic needs, as no job opportunities are available.
The man depends on the aid provided by organizations such as the “al-Yamama,” affiliated with the UN.
The scarce job opportunities, high prices and deteriorating value of the Syrian pound make it impossible for al-Ali to buy a new tent to replace the old worn-out one for the winter.
The IDPs’ demands to replace their old tents have recently increased after being damaged by floods and heavy rainfalls.
Khadija al-Hamoud, 38, an IDP living in Hawaij Bu Masaa demands a medical point be established in the camp to help them alleviate their suffering.
She, like her peers, cannot afford to buy the necessary medications for her sick mother. She finds this the most challenging compared to other hardships.
In Deir ez-Zor, Abu Khashab camp is the only registered camp in the AANES areas. It houses 10,345 individuals. Western Deir ez-Zor is also home to seven makeshift camps, which house 2,600 families.
At the end of January 2022, Saddam al-Aboud, head of the Refugee and Displaced Affairs Office of the Deir ez-Zor Civil Council, said, “The health and food security is at risk in Deir ez-Zor and will worsen in case border crossings remain closed.”
In July 2014, the UNSC adopted Resolution 2165 which authorized the UN to deliver cross-border humanitarian aid to Syria through four crossings al-Ramtha crossing with Jordan, Bab al-Salameh and Bab al-Hawa with Turkey, and Tel Kocher with Iraq, without the consent of the Syrian government.
In January 2020, UN Res. 2504 was adopted which reduced the number of border crossings to only Bab al-Salameh and Bab al-Hawa for six months open to renewal in a special meeting by the UNSC.
Since July 2020, Bab al-Hawa has been the only crossing kept open to UN aid based on Resolution 2533 (2020), while the use of the others was curtailed.
In July 2022, the UNSC approved extending lifesaving aid deliveries into northwest Syria through the Bab al-Hawa crossing for six months.
The closure of the al-Ya’rubiyah (Tel Kocher) border crossing is a blatant politicization of the humanitarian situation in northeast Syria, said Badran Chiya Kurd, co-chair of the Foreign Relations Department of the AANES.
“The camps face tragic circumstances, especially in winter, during freezing temperatures. The aid that organizations have provided does not suffice for the refugees and IDPs in Deir ez-Zor,” al-Aboud added.