At least 31 people have been killed since the start of the year in the Al-Hol camp in Syria, which is home to tens of thousands of displaced people and members of jihadist families, a Kurdish official said on Wednesday (March 3rd).
Read also: Syria: 12 "murders" in the Al-Hol camp, the UN is alarmed
The upsurge in violence and killings, which did not spare aid workers, prompted the NGO Médecins sans frontières (MSF) on Tuesday to announce the suspension of its activities in this camp in northeastern Syria run by the Kurdish forces.
The UN has repeatedly warned of a further deterioration of the security situation in this camp, the largest in Syria.
“
Since the beginning of 2021, 31 people have been killed, including six with a sharp object, and the others shot dead by pistols,
” said Jaber Cheikh Moustafa, a Kurdish official in the camp.
"
We think that 'Daesh' cells (Islamic State group, editor's note) are behind these murders (...) which occur in particular in the section reserved for Iraqis and Syrians,
" he added. , adding that the majority of those killed were Iraqis.
The camp accommodates nearly 62,000 people, 93% of whom are women and children, according to the UN, mainly Syrians and Iraqis, but also thousands of foreign women and their children, mainly from Europe or Asia, who are close to IS jihadists.
The camp has seen several incidents in recent months, sometimes involving IS supporters, including escape attempts and attacks on guards or NGO workers.
MSF notably recalled in a press release on Wednesday the death on February 24 of one of its employees in the camp, "
killed in the tent where he lived
" with his family.
On Saturday, three other NGO workers were injured in a fire that spread to several tents, killing a total of seven and injuring around 30.
According to a UN report published in early February, the presence of jihadists imprisoned and their families in camps for displaced persons of Kurdish forces, in particular that of Al-Hol, constitutes a "
latent threat
".
MSF announced "
temporarily suspend its external activities in the camp
", including "
some relating to the supply and sanitation of water
", inside the overcrowded camp, according to the statement.
“
It is not a safe environment and certainly not a suitable place for children.
We must put an end to this nightmarish situation
, ”lamented the NGO, which considers that“
the frequency of assassinations is shocking
”.
"
The authorities are responsible for ensuring the safety of people at all times,
" MSF insisted.
