MANBIJ, Syria (North Press) – Al-Ali’s living conditions have deteriorated as a result of the lack of humanitarian aid due to continuing closure of border crossings, particularly al-Ya’rubiyah (Tel Kocher) on the Syrian-Iraqi border.
Maryam al-Ali, 40, an IDP from Maskana region living in the Old Eastern Manbij camp with her family of six, told North Press that the situation inside the camp is “really tragic” due to lack of assistance provided for IDPs in the camp.
IDPs in the Old Eastern Manbij camp and New Eastern Manbij camp complain about scarce humanitarian aid due to the closure of the al-Ya’rubiyah border crossing, which caused a significant living crisis and severe shortage of food and other relief assistance that used to access the region through the border crossing.
In July 2014, the UNSC adopted Resolution 2165 which authorized the UN to deliver cross-border humanitarian aid to Syria through four border 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.
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 Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) on Jan. 6.
Unjust decision
Human rights activists and officials considered the continued closure of the al-Ya’rubiyah crossing and restricting the entry of aid into Syria only through the Bab al-Hawa crossing in northwest of the country, “an unjust decision against millions of residents in northeast Syria.”
Despite repeated demands by the AANES to reopen the crossing, the UNSC did not act due to Russia and China’s consecutive vetoes, who want to restrict the delivery of aid only through outlets controlled by the Syrian government.
Meanwhile, al-Ali and thousands of IDPs in northeast Syria, who live in dozens of official and makeshift camps, experience dire humanitarian and living conditions as a result of scarce assistance amid AANES’ inability to provide them with the sufficient support.
She added that the people in the camp need aid, but there is not sufficient support given to families and children. There is a severe shortage, unlike what it used to be almost a year ago. The assistance is very little, and “It is not like before,” she added.
The majority of IDPs in camps deploy in Manbij urgently need to replace their old “worn out” tents that have not been replaced for over three years with new ones.
Al-Ali believes that the worsening living situation in the camp is caused by the closure of the al-Ya’rubiyah border crossing and the suspension of humanitarian assistance.
The AANES calls for pressuring the relevant authorities to open the crossing to humanitarian assistance for IDPs in camps in northeast Syria.
Negative effects
There are two camps in Manbij, the New Eastern Manbij camp, located in southeast of the city and holds 625 families with a total of 3,395 individuals from Maskana and Deir Hafir in the eastern countryside of Aleppo, and the Old Eastern Manbij camp that holds 387 families with a total of 1,795 individuals.
AANES officials believe the continuing closure of the al-Ya’rubiyah has negatively impacted and aggravated the humanitarian situation of hundreds of thousands IDPs, and neglecting this situation increases the humanitarian burdens.
Khadija al-Ali, 50, an IDP from Deir Hafir lives in the New Eastern Manbij camp, also complains about the suspension of humanitarian aid since the closure of the aforementioned crossing.
She told North Press that they suffer from a severe shortage of food and hygiene kits, and many other things, and they are helpless and can do nothing about it.
“The closure of the border crossing had a large impact on the people in the camps, and we do not receive aid as before,” she added.
The increasing exchange rate of the US dollar against the Syrian pound, high prices of food, and the closure of the al-Ya’rubiyah have all caused “a major living crisis.”
IDPs in northeast Syria are numbered 293,196 individuals distributed in over 80 camps located in Hasakah, Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor, and Manbij, according to a statistic North Press obtained from the administrations of the camps.
In February, Aziz Hiso, camps administrator in the Social Affairs and Labor Committee in Manbij affiliated with the AANES, said the IDPs live in worn-out tents that have not been replaced for over three years, not to mention the dire living conditions amid absence of support from humanitarian organization.
He stated to the official website of the AANES that lack of medical supplies and staff inside the camps is not less dangerous than the other bad conditions. He called on the humanitarian organizations to intervene and support the people in the camps with tents, food and medical items.
Ibrahim al-Munzer, 64, an IDP from Deir Hafir who lives in the New Eastern Manbij camp, talks about the scarce aid the people in the camp used to receive in the past, which they no longer receive nowadays due to the closure of the border crossing.
He told North Press that it had been a while since they received food and other items. They receive assistance intermittently, forcing them to buy what they need at their own expense.
Even though there are many families in the camp, most of them do not work nor have workers to secure their needs, according to al-Munzer.
As a result of his persistent complaints about the poor conditions in the camp and the lack of assistance, he was told the reason behind this was the continued closure of the al-Ya’rubiyah and the reluctance of organizations to work in northeast Syria.
Earlier, the AANES demanded the UN to take on its responsibility regarding the bad humanitarian situation in the region.
The IDPs in the Old Eastern Manbij camp and New Eastern Manbij camp demand humanitarian organizations, relevant authorities, and the international community to intensify efforts to open the al-Ya’rubiyah to humanitarian assistance coming to areas of northeast Syria.