Refugee women in al-Hol Camp: We want to live in safe

We witnessed that ISIS members living in the camp carried out massacres against the people, said the refugee women living in the al-Hol Camp. On March 28, an operation was launched against ISIS members in the camp and many ISIS members were arrested. We want to live in safe, said the women.

SORGUL ŞÊXO

Hesekê – On March 28, security forces of NE Syria launched an operation in the al-Hol camp against ISIS members and they arrested many ISIS members. More than 60.000 refugees have lived in the camp now. The camp was actually built for people who fled the persecution of ISIS but after the liberation of Deir Ez-Zor city, families of ISIS members were also sent to the camp. In time, ISIS showed its presence in this camp and started to terrorize the others in the camp. After ISIS made its presence felt in the camp, women were forced to wear a black abaya, the pressures in the camp increased and many people were tortured and killed.

“We are so scared of being killed one night”

Iraqi Nûheyîla Şerara is one of the women living in the camp. “We fled the war and came to Syria. They (ISIS) forcibly took my family members and made them work for them. We have lived in this camp for two years. We never dreamed of a life like this while coming to this camp. We are victims of their (ISIS) brutal ideas. We are so scared of receiving news on killed people and of being killed. We regret having come here. We are so scared of being killed one night,” said Nûheyîla Şerara.

“The world must see what is happening here”

Fatima is from Raqqa city and she has lived in the camp, she told us, “The world must see what is happening here. We always live in fear. We also want to live in our lands, in our homeland like normal people. Life in the camp and outside of the camp is totally different from each other. If I could return to my old house, I would but I cannot. I do my best to protect my children from the atrocities happening here but it is really very difficult. I want to be able to return to my normal life and to get rid of my fears and to live without fear.”

“We witnessed the massacres”

Eyşa Al-Mihemed from Aleppo told us that she witnessed many innocent people being killed, and she described what happened in the camp, “I'm originally from Aleppo. I and my family members came to al-Hol Camp to escape from the Baath regime and ISIS attacks. The situation in the camp wasn’t like this before. When ISIS families came to the camp, the camp has turned into a place where we cannot live anymore. Many innocent people were killed. Even if we try to keep our children from the atmosphere in the camp, it is very difficult. They don’t receive a good education. They see or hear the massacres. The launched operation has relieved us a little. We want to live safely in the camp now.”