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Refugee camps in Syria's northwestern Idlib province near the Turkish border are struggling with heavy flooding after several days of torrential rainfall, according to an Anadolu Agency correspondent based in the region.
Many of the flimsy tents erected in Idlib’s Al-Ihsan refugee camp -- currently home to some 1,000 people -- have been inundated by floodwater, rendering blankets and bedding completely unusable.
Eleven-year-old Ali Izziyah told Anadolu Agency that he and his family had been forced to seek refuge at the camp after Assad regime forces had entered their village in Hama province’s rural countryside.
The UN World Food Program (WFP) on Friday welcomed the upcoming quadrilateral Syria summit to be held in Istanbul on Saturday, expressing hopes that “civilians will be the priority of the discussion.”The meeting to be hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will see the participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and French President Emmanuel Macron.In a news conference in Geneva, Herve Verhoosel, senior spokesperson of the WFP said: “WFP hopes that civilians will be the priority of the discussion, re-emphasizing that rebuilding communities and solving the hunger crisis in Syria is hinged on ending the conflict that continuously fosters it.”Summit on Syria to explore ways for political solutionVerhoosel recalled that more than seven years of war has pushed millions of Syrians into hunger and poverty. “In September, WFP was able to reach over 3 million Syrians with food aid. Continued food assistance for millions of families is vital for stability and security in Syria,” he said. “For those who are beginning to return to their country and communities, developing active markets, jobs and support is essential.”The spokesperson stated that WFP needs reliable and predictable funding, saying: “$136 million is needed from now until March 2019.”Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.World owes Turkey for hosting refugees: Canadian envoy
UN body welcomes upcoming Istanbul Summit on Syria
"We need tents, stoves and coal,” he said. “It’s very difficult living here, especially when it’s cold.”
Ittihad Ali, a mother of five who has lived at the camp for over a year, said she and her children were desperate for heating equipment with winter just around the corner.
“Life is really harsh here; the conditions we face are almost unlivable,” she said. “We will be left out in the cold, then starve. This place lacks the most basic amenities.”
“My children have been chronically ill since we arrived here,” the struggling mother lamented. “Now the heavy rains have turned everything into mud.”
The four-way Syria summit to be held in Istanbul on Saturday is set to focus on finding new ways to reach a political solution in Syria, Turkey's presidential aide said on Friday. Speaking at an international congress in southeastern Diyarbakir province, Ibrahim Kalın said: “Our priority at this summit will be focusing on what kind of new ways could be found based on not military, but a political solution in Syria.”The meeting to be hosted by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will see the participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and French President Emmanuel Macron.Erdoğan will address preserving the Idlib deal and preventing violations by the Bashar al-Assad regime in particular at the summit, Kalın said. Syria regime violating Turkey-Russia Idlib deal: White HelmetsTurkey expects the summit in Istanbul to help form a constitutional committee, the presidential aide added. Ankara and Moscow agreed in September to establish a demilitarized zone in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib.Under the deal, opposition groups in Idlib are to remain in areas where they are already present, while Russia and Turkey carry out joint patrols in the area with a view to preventing a resumption of fighting.On Oct. 10, the Turkish Defense Ministry announced that the Syrian opposition and other anti-regime groups had completed the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the Idlib demilitarized zone.Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.Turkish envoy hails Canada for hosting Syrian refugees
Summit on Syria to explore ways for political solution
Azzam Oleywi, another camp resident, recalled his dismay upon waking up for dawn prayers -- along with his companions -- to discover the camp inundated with rainwater.
"The rain was pouring down on our sleeping children,” he said.
Noting that most camp residents were deep in debt, Oleywi told Anadolu Agency: “There are no beds, pillows or tarpaulins. We have nothing. There are no employment opportunities here.”
“Living in the camp is really difficult. There are just too many people here,” he added. “I hope those who imposed these conditions on us share the same fate.”