Syrian government prepares to close al-Hawl Camp after unrest
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The Syrian government is preparing measures to close al-Hawl Camp in the countryside of Hasakah following unrest and security disturbances inside the facility, according to multiple media reports citing informed sources on Wednesday.
The government assumed responsibility for administering the camp in mid-January after agreements and discussions with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which had previously overseen security and management as part of broader stabilization efforts in northeast Syria.
Local sources told North Press on Tuesday that Syrian authorities had already begun transferring dozens of families from al-Hawl Camp to other locations inside Syrian government-controlled areas. The transfers were reportedly conducted as part of preliminary steps linked to reorganizing or potentially closing the camp.
The camp, located east of Hasakah city, has for years housed Syrians, Iraqis, and foreign nationals displaced during military operations against ISIS. It has remained one of the most complex humanitarian and security files in the region, with local authorities repeatedly warning about sleeper cells and attempts to reorganize extremist networks inside the facility.
The American newspaper The Wall Street Journal, citing diplomats based in Damascus, reported that thousands of individuals had fled the camp in recent weeks following the transfer of administrative control. The diplomats said that “protests and riots that erupted inside the camp worsened the situation,” contributing to instability.
According to the report, growing disorder coincided with increased smuggling activities and breaches in the camp’s perimeter security.
Charles Lister, director of the Syria program at the Middle East Institute in Washington, stated that “the government has effectively lost control. It secured the camp’s perimeter, but smuggling operations increased, breaches in the fences continued, and from that moment the situation became completely chaotic.”
Before the recent handover, the SDF — backed by the US-led global coalition — had conducted repeated security campaigns inside al-Hawl Camp targeting ISIS-linked cells and smuggling networks, describing the site as a persistent counterterrorism challenge requiring international coordination and long-term solutions for detainees and displaced residents.