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Iraqis Prepare to Leave Hol Camp Amid Fears of PMF Retaliation

An Iraqi family in al-Hol camp prepares to return to Iraq (Asharq Al-Awsat)
An Iraqi family in al-Hol camp prepares to return to Iraq (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Iraqis Prepare to Leave Hol Camp Amid Fears of PMF Retaliation

An Iraqi family in al-Hol camp prepares to return to Iraq (Asharq Al-Awsat)
An Iraqi family in al-Hol camp prepares to return to Iraq (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Iraqi government has agreed to evacuate 500 families from al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria’s Hasakah province, which hosts more than 8,000 Iraqi families of the total 62,000 residents.

Director of the Exit Office in al-Hol Camp Munir Mohammad told Asharq Al-Awsat that preparations for Iraqi repatriations started after the Iraqi government struck a deal with the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria and Hol camp's management.

Thousands of displaced Iraqis queued in front of the Exit Office to inquire about the departure dates which will begin this week, or register their names to return to their country, noting that between 2017 and 2018 about 8,000 refugees returned.

More than 50,000 Iraqis voluntarily returned to their hometowns until the end of 2018, according to the figures of the Exit Office.

The official pointed out that over the past two years, the Iraqi authorities refused to receive citizens wishing to return.

Mohammad stated that more than 20,000 Iraqis are willing to return provided that they are transferred under the supervision of United Nations and international humanitarian agencies.

“Everyone fears reprisals from the Popular Mobilization Forces, which controls many areas in Iraq,” asserted Mohammed.

At the Office, Sajida, 50, was pleased to know about her return, saying she’d go back on foot if they allowed her, adding that she’s tired of living in the camp along with her big family.

Nahida Habib al-Mohammad couldn't remember her birthday but recalled escaping five years ago from al-Anbar after ISIS took control over the governorate. She was displaced with her family into many areas, before settling in the camp two years ago.

Nahida awaits impatiently to return to her hometown and reunite with her family. She said she had registered her family several times before, but the Iraqi authorities had refused to receive them.

In another tent, Awad al-Shammari, from Sinjar in northern Iraq, sat with his wife, Khadija, and the families of their two married sons.

Khadija described their dire living conditions, saying their tent lacks basic necessities, but she was relieved after hearing news of their return to Iraq.

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Arab World

MSF Suspends Operations at Key Hospital in Sudan's Capital

FILE - South Sudanese people sit outside a nutrition clinic at a transit center in Renk, South Sudan, on May 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick, File)
FILE - South Sudanese people sit outside a nutrition clinic at a transit center in Renk, South Sudan, on May 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick, File)
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MSF Suspends Operations at Key Hospital in Sudan's Capital

FILE - South Sudanese people sit outside a nutrition clinic at a transit center in Renk, South Sudan, on May 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick, File)
FILE - South Sudanese people sit outside a nutrition clinic at a transit center in Renk, South Sudan, on May 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick, File)

Medical aid agency MSF said on Friday it has been forced to suspend its activities at one of the few remaining hospitals in southern Khartoum due to repeated attacks, cutting off yet another lifeline for those who remain in the Sudanese capital.
War has been raging in Sudan since April 2023, sparked by a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) ahead of a planned transition to civilian rule, triggering the world's largest displacement and hunger crisis.
The hospital, which lies in territory controlled by the RSF, helped treat the victims of frequent airstrikes by the Sudanese Armed Forces, as well as hundreds of malnourished women and children in an area where two neighborhoods have been judged at risk of famine, reported Reuters.
"In the 20 months MSF teams have worked alongside hospital staff and volunteers, Bashair Hospital has experienced repeated incidents of armed fighters entering the hospital with weapons and threatening medical staff, often demanding fighters be treated before other patients," MSF said in a statement.
"Despite extensive engagements with all stakeholders, these attacks have continued in recent months. MSF has now taken the very difficult decision to suspend all medical activities in the hospital."
The fighting in Sudan has cut off up to 80% of hospitals in conflict areas, where millions who cannot afford to escape the violence remain. Civilians face frequent air and artillery fire and hunger as supplies are blocked by both warring parties and prices skyrocket.
Medical facilities, including MSF-supported ones that have suspended operations, have frequently come under attack by RSF soldiers demanding treatment or looting supplies. Bashair Hospital has served more than 25,000 people, MSF said, including 9,000 hurt by blasts, gunshot wounds, and other violence.
"Sometimes dozens of people arrived at the hospital at the same time after shelling or airstrikes on residential areas and markets," MSF said in the statement, citing an incident on Sunday where an airstrike one kilometer away drove 50 people to the emergency room, 12 of them already dead.