Eight children died in al-Hol camp for Islamic State (IS) families in northeast Syria in less than one week. This is far above the normal rate in the camp where people lack basic services and may now be contending with an outbreak of the coronavirus.
The children were under 5 years of age and died between Aug. 6-10. Four died from complications related to malnutrition, while the others died from “dehydration from diarrhea, heart failure, internal bleeding and hypoglycemia,” the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, known as UNICEF, said in a press release.
“Any child’s death is tragic. It is even more so when the death could have been averted,” said UNICEF executive director Henrietta Fore in the release.
Al-Hol hosts more than 65,000 people with varying allegiances to IS. Most of the camp’s residents are women and children. There are Syrian, Iraqi and foreign sections of the camp. Many residents were wives and children of IS fighters. The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are in charge of security. The Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria administers al-Hol along with much of northeast Syria.
Humanitarian organizations have long warned about poor living conditions in al-Hol. Many living there lack access to water and other hygiene materials, making them susceptible to the coronavirus. Much of the tent city is without cooling systems in the summer heat. Al-Hol is in a desert part of Syria close to the Iraqi border. Some health and education services have paused recently due to virus-related concerns, according to UNICEF.
Source: Al-Monitor
