{"id":130895,"date":"2025-10-12T09:36:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-12T09:36:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/?p=130895"},"modified":"2025-10-12T09:37:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-12T09:37:12","slug":"sere-kaniye-idps-in-ne-syria-face-another-winter-in-torn-tents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/130895\/","title":{"rendered":"Sere Kaniye IDPs in NE Syria face another winter in torn tents"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

HASAKAH, Syria (North Press) \u2013 <\/strong>As winter approaches, thousands of displaced people from Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) living in Washokani Camp, west of Hasakah in northeastern Syria brace for another season of hardship under torn and deteriorating tents that have sheltered them for seven years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The camp, established by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) in late 2019 following Turkey\u2019s \u201cOperation Peace Spring,\u201d now hosts around 17,000 people across approximately 2,400 families. Despite its recognition by the UNHCR in 2023, living conditions remain dire, with little improvement since the camp\u2019s establishment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA tragedy in both winter and summer\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Residents describe life in the camp as a daily struggle against heat, cold, and neglect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sharif Saleh, displaced from the village of al-Manajir in Sere Kaniye countryside, told North Press that the entire camp has been calling for the replacement of tents. “We were displaced in 2018 and have been living in tents ever since. This is our seventh year now. They have not replaced these tents \u2014 they are completely worn out. It is a tragedy in both winter and summer. In summer, it is unbearably hot; in winter, it is freezing cold.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saleh added that replacing the tents or improving them has become an urgent necessity, particularly for large families like his, which includes 13 members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Melka Mahmoud, a woman in her fifties battling cancer, described the harsh winter conditions, said, \u201cIn winter, the situation becomes unbearable. There is mud and rain everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Sometimes, while we are asleep, rainwater starts flooding the tent. We wake up in the middle of the night to move our bedding and sleeping mats because everything gets soaked,” she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We ask for nothing else,” she noted. “But if returning is still not possible, we urge that the tents be replaced immediately and our living conditions improved.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Calls for return or urgent aid<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Youssef Dawoud, co-chair of Washokani Camp\u2019s administration, said the camp currently contains around 2,430 tents housing more than 17,000 people. \u201cTents should be replaced every year but this is the sixth year and none have been renewed,\u201d he told North Press.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We have contacted all concerned organizations but none have committed to providing new tents,” he said. “We have spoken with UNHCR, ACTED, and UNICEF yet there has been no response regarding the replacements.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He warned that the failure to replace the tents before winter would lead to a real disaster for the camp\u2019s residents, whose humanitarian suffering deepens year after year.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite UNHCR\u2019s formal recognition of Washokani Camp, humanitarian support remains limited and inconsistent. Most essential services rely on the AANES and local organizations, with no government body directly responsible for maintenance or infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Years of neglect and underfunding have left the camp\u2019s residents in limbo \u2014 unable to return home, yet forced to endure worsening conditions under the same fragile tents that have sheltered them since their displacement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Washokani Camp was established in late 2019 by the AANES to accommodate the displaced from Sere Kaniye after the Turkish offensive on the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The camp is home to around 17,000 people and faces major challenges in funding and support, relying primarily on assistance from non-governmental organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In early 2023, the UNHCR officially recognized Washokani as a formal camp. However, the aid provided remains insufficient to replace the worn tents or deliver essential services in full. Currently, most services depend heavily on the AANES, with no official government body directly handling camp maintenance or tent replacement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The camp also suffered from long periods of neglect by some international and UN agencies due to its earlier classification as \u201cunofficial.\u201d Promises to replace or repair tents have been limited and often unfulfilled because of funding shortages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reporting by Samer Yassin<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Editing by Jwan Shekaki<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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