The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

“Al-Hawl mini-state” in May 2022 | Six murders by ISIS cells and affiliates and over 30 arrests by security forces

SOHR renews its appeal to the international community to find an immediate and lasting solution for Al-Hawl camp's crisis and urges putting a serious plan for rehabilitating the camp’s children and women

The successive incidents at Al-Hawl camp in the far south-east region of Al-Hasakah are now unrefuted evidence of the chaos recently unleashed by the Islamic State in Syria. Al-Hawl refugee camp has become more like a “mini-state” hosting ISIS-affiliated members and families. A true crisis that most countries of the world still ignore in order to avoid repatriating their unwelcome citizens who joined the notorious organisation. Chaos and lack of security are prevalent within the camp, turning it into a “ticking bomb” that cannot be ignored.

 

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) has tracked and monitored the key developments in the camp in May 2022, where murders returned to the camp in the wake of re-escalating activity by ISIS cells and affiliates after two months since the last murder was documented, despite the periodical security campaigns by security forces in charge of the camp.

 

SOHR documented six murders in Al-Hawl camp in May 2022, which left six people dead:

 

  • A male and a female Iraqi refugee.

 

  • Three displaced Syrians, including two women.

 

  • An unidentified woman.

 

Accordingly, the number of murders documented in the camp since early 2022 has risen to 16, which left 16 people dead; and they are as follows:

 

  • Six Iraqi refugees, including two women.

 

  • Five Syrian people: Two men and three women.

 

  • Four unidentified women.

 

  • A medic was killed in the post where he worked in the camp.

 

Here are key developments in Al-Hawl camp in May:

 

  • May 8: The security forces in Al-Hawl camp carried out an security campaign, arresting eight women, mostly Uzbek women, in the section of “Al-Muhajerat” (the immigrant women).

 

  • May 3: “Asayish” Special Forces arrested 23 Arab and foreign people in Al-Hawl camp in Al-Hasakah countryside for “communicating with ISIS cells outside the camp.” Security sources confirmed that the arrested people were, as they described, a “terrorist cell,” which was planning to carry out violent acts and explosions across north and east Syria.

 

  • May 9: Employees of a Norwegian organisation in Al-Hawl camp in Al-Hasakah countryside left their offices, protesting the current deteriorating security situation inside the camp. The employees had been attacked by gunmen who brandished weapons at the employees inside their office in the headquarters of the Norwegian organisation, where they stole three computers and beat the employees before escaping.

 

Similar to the latest three months, SOHR documented no more batches of Syrian families leaving Al-Hawl camp under the SDC initiative in May. However, in January 2022, 22 families of nearly 217 people left the camp as a part of the initiative by “Syrian Democratic Council” (SDC) to evacuate Syrians from Al-Hawl camp, where these families were transported to Deir Ezzor province.

 

We, at the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), renew our appeal to the international community to find a lasting solution to “Al-Hawl mini-state” crisis, which is considered a clear and present danger to everyone. We also urge international human rights organisations to put an immediate and serious plan for rehabilitating women and children in the camp, who were saturated with ISIS ideology, especially with the large number of children and the widespread presence of the group cells in the camp that continue to impart their poisonous ideas to the residents of the camp, particularly women and children.