Over 250 Children Die in Syria’s Al-Hawl Refugee Camp

The London-based Syrian Observatory Human Rights (SOHR) reported that at least 12 children have been killed in al-Hawl Camp in the last two days as the hygienic and health situation of the camp has worsened and also due to an acute shortage of food and medicine.

It noted that the number of children killed in al-Hawl Camp since the beginning of 2019 has hit 255.

Earlier, the SOHR had reported that over 73,000 people are living under critical conditions at the camp.

In a relevant development earlier this month, Head of the Russian reconciliation center in Syria, Major General Viktor Kupchishin said that between 10 and 20 people, many of them children, die each day in al-Hawl refugee camp.

“According to a female refugee, who managed to flee the Al-Hawl camp on the territory controlled by the US-led coalition, the humanitarian situation in the camp is catastrophic. Between 10 and 20 people die each day, including children,” he stated.

“In the past week, due to the lack of medicines, food and unbearable living conditions, seven children died in the camp. The overall number of children, who died in the Al Hawl camp, has risen to 235,” he added.

Kupchishin urged international organizations to take measures and alleviate the suffering of people in the camp, one of the biggest in Syria’s regions to East of the Euphrates River.

Kupchishin pointed out that in order to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe, the Syrian government had provided security guarantees to refugees leaving the US-controlled Tanf zone and set up the Jleb mobile checkpoint. Bus convoys have been sent there to take refugees to their places of permanent residence.

“The Syrian government offers security guarantees to temporarily displaced persons and a simplified procedure to restore their identity documents. Temporary shelters have been prepared,” he said.