DERIK, Syria (North Press) – Newroz Camp, east of northeast Syria’s Derik, recently received dozens of IDP families from different cities and towns in light of the deteriorating living conditions, increasing rent costs, and lack of job opportunities.
The number of families in the Newroz Camp increased from 120, or 500 people, to 222 families, including 1110 people, according to the camp management.
The camp houses IDP families from Turkish-held areas in Sere Kaniye (Ras Al-Ain), and Tel Abyad, and areas near Tel Tamr that are exposed to successive shelling.
The military operation that was carried out by Turkey and Turkish-backed armed opposition groups in October 2019 in Sere Kaniye and Tel Abyad displaced about 300,000 people, according to data by the Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria (AANES).
Five days ago, 21-year-old Tel Tamr IDP Wafa’ Elyas moved with her family from the city of Hasakah to the camp.
She said that they moved to the camp due to the increasing rents of houses in Hasakah and because her husband did not find a job. “First we headed towards Hasakah, and then we moved between areas and in the last area in Hasakah, the rent reached 75,000 Syrian pounds (SYP) per month.”
AANES founded Sere Kaniye and Washokani camps near Hasakah to receive Sere Kaniye IDPs; however, many families preferred to stay in cities and villages to find jobs in light of the overcrowding in the two camps and the lack of aid.
After working in sheep breeding for an almost a year in Ain Diwar in the countryside of Derik, 40-year-old Sere Kaniye IDP Shamsa Ali moved with her family to the camp a week ago.
“But the owner told us to quit the work, and because we had no money to rent a house, we came to the camp,” she stated.
“When we fled, we did not take anything with us except for the clothes on our backs,” the IDP mentioned.
Areas in northeast Syria are witnessing an increase in rent costs, some of which have reached 100 American dollars in some cities, leaving no alternatives for the IDPs except to head towards camps.
However, some IDPs, who have recently come to the camp complained about the shortage of services and food baskets that they received which would last for only a few days, in addition to the lack of blankets, mattresses, winter clothes, mats, and cleaning supplies.
Sere Kaniye IDP Hussein Hammad, who moved to the camp ten days ago, said that winter supplies that he received were not sufficient in light of the low temperatures.
“It is too cold inside the tent and we do not have even mattresses,” Hammad said.
Newroz Camp official Nadim Omar said that the camp administration distributed all the available supplies to the IDPs.
“Currently, there is nothing left to help the displaced with in light of the shortage of aid provided by organizations,” he added.