HRW Warns against ‘Guantanamo on the Euphrates’

Fighters of Syrian Democratic Forces hold a meeting inside a house that has become their camp in Raqqa, Syria October 1, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro
Fighters of Syrian Democratic Forces hold a meeting inside a house that has become their camp in Raqqa, Syria October 1, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro
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HRW Warns against ‘Guantanamo on the Euphrates’

Fighters of Syrian Democratic Forces hold a meeting inside a house that has become their camp in Raqqa, Syria October 1, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro
Fighters of Syrian Democratic Forces hold a meeting inside a house that has become their camp in Raqqa, Syria October 1, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro

Any transfers of suspected foreign militants and their relatives out of Syria should be transparent, Human Rights Watch told Agence France Presse, as camps in the northeast fill with families of different nationalities.

With the crumbling of ISIS, France is now considering bringing dozens of accused French militants, as well as their wives and children, back home from the detention centers and camps run by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces.

"We would definitely like to be present (during the transfer), or at least there should be some transparency," Nadim Houry, HRW's director of counter-terrorism, told AFP in the northern Syrian town of Amuda late Wednesday.

"As we speak, there may already be transfers happening. There's been a total lack of transparency, and bad things happen in the dark," he warned.

Tens of thousands of foreigners are estimated to have joined ISIS since 2014, but they have streamed out of its collapsing territory in recent years.

The SDF, who are bearing down on the shrinking pocket of ISIS territory in east Syria, told AFP they were detaining foreign fighters on a "daily basis."

The SDF are also holding hundreds of women and children who were born to alleged ISIS militants, including French nationals, in two main prison camps in the north.

Authorities at one of the camps, Al-Hol, say they have received more than 1,000 foreign nationals since fighting against ISIS's last positions ramped up in mid-December.

On Wednesday, dozens of foreign women and their young children, who had recently arrived from the battered ISIS pocket further south, could be seen waiting in a reception area in Al-Hol.

The women wore black veils covering everything but their blue eyes and called out to their pale, thin children in English and French.

They were waiting to be assigned tents in the cordoned-off section of the camp where foreigners are held, and were not allowed to speak to reporters.

French sources have told AFP that an estimated 50 adults and 80 children could be brought back to France, but authorities have not confirmed any planned transfer.

"While this debate is taking place in France, it's not clear it has manifested itself in any concrete measures on the ground," said Houry, whose team plans to visit foreigners in the camps. 

HRW is seeking clarity on the numbers that might return, what route they would be transferred through, and whether children would be separated from their parents.

France has a responsibility not to leave its citizens, including children under seven years old, in legal limbo in a "Guantanamo on the Euphrates," Houry said.

"We are confident that once they actually hit France, there is a mechanism in place," he said. 

"What we're concerned about is what is going to happen between now and then. We're in a grey zone."



UNHCR Praises Saudi Support Amid Dire Humanitarian Crisis in Sudan

King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center distributes food aid in the city of Umm Rawaba, North Kordofan State, Sudan (SPA)
King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center distributes food aid in the city of Umm Rawaba, North Kordofan State, Sudan (SPA)
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UNHCR Praises Saudi Support Amid Dire Humanitarian Crisis in Sudan

King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center distributes food aid in the city of Umm Rawaba, North Kordofan State, Sudan (SPA)
King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center distributes food aid in the city of Umm Rawaba, North Kordofan State, Sudan (SPA)

A senior United Nations official has described the ongoing crisis in Sudan as one of the world’s largest humanitarian emergencies, yet also among the least funded. Less than 18 percent of the $1.8 billion needed to support relief operations in 2025 has been secured.

Mamadou Dian Balde, Regional Director of the UNHCR for East Africa, the Horn of Africa, and the Great Lakes, and the agency’s regional refugee coordinator for Sudan, stressed the importance of Saudi Arabia’s continued support.

He noted that the Kingdom’s contribution remains vital to maintaining life-saving aid, especially at a time when global humanitarian funding is shrinking.

During a recent visit to Riyadh, Balde met with key Saudi officials to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation with UNHCR. His discussions focused on supporting over 27 million refugees and displaced individuals across East Africa, the Horn of Africa, and surrounding regions.

He stressed that Saudi Arabia’s partnership, both through direct aid and international collaboration, has played a crucial role in sustaining relief efforts in the face of the largest displacement crisis worldwide.

Balde’s visit included meetings with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief), the Saudi Fund for Development, and Islamic development institutions such as the Islamic Development Bank and the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development. He also consulted with humanitarian and religious organizations like the Muslim World League and the World Assembly of Muslim Youth.

In Sudan, despite limited resources, UNHCR continues to deliver core services such as refugee registration, relocation to safer areas, and distribution of emergency supplies. This includes shelter kits, blankets, mosquito nets, solar lamps, and kitchen essentials, as well as medical supplies and support for survivors of gender-based violence and unaccompanied children.

Balde highlighted the scale of the crisis, pointing to nearly 13 million Sudanese who have been displaced in just two years, with 4 million fleeing across borders. He warned that displacement is accelerating, citing the arrival of approximately 2,000 new refugees daily in Chad due to recent violence in North Darfur.

With only 11 percent of the regional response plan for Sudan funded, humanitarian actors face difficult choices, often unable to reach all those in need.

Looking ahead, UNHCR’s strategy combines emergency relief with long-term development.

Balde stressed the need to integrate refugees into national systems, improve host community services, and avoid parallel aid structures, Balde told Asharq Al-Awsat.

For 2025, the agency and its partners require $1.8 billion to assist 4.8 million people, including refugees, returnees, and local communities across the region.