ERBIL, Kurdistan Region— As winter approaches, the United Nations has pledged to provide a “warm and safe” winter for the thousands who have fled to the Kurdistan Region following unrest in Syria.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesperson Firas al-Khateeb told Rudaw late Friday that camps housing the displaced are “equipped with electricity, water, medical care, psychosocial support, and core relief items needed for winter.”
Temperatures regularly drop below freezing during winter in the Kurdistan Region. The harsh weather disproportionately affects refugees and IDPs, with tents destroyed by flooding and torn apart by the cold.
“In addition to shelter, we provide them with a winter kit, insulation mats, high-thermal blankets, and kerosene heaters to ensure they are warm and safe for winter,” added al-Khateeb.
There are nearly 232,000 Syrian refugees, mostly Kurds, in the Kurdistan Region who have fled Syrian unrest since 2011, including the recent Turkish invasion of northern Syria, according to the Kurdistan Region’s Joint Crisis Coordination Centre (JCC).
According to figures obtained from both the UNHCR’s spokesperson and the JCC, nearly 16,000 Syrian refugees have entered the the Kurdistan Region since Turkey launched Operation Peace Spring against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Syria on October 9.
Since the incursion began, several camps in the Kurdistan Region have been reopened, with more Syrians now facing another winter in tents.
The operation continues despite Turkey’s ceasefire deals with the US and Russia.
UNHCR said in a Friday statement that they need $222 million “to provide timely assistance to all those in need through its winterization programme, which covers the period from September 2019 to March 2020.”
He added that they are optimistic they will receive the funds from donors, and the private sector. These people “always give when we ask for appeals, especially for the winter and Ramadan and other occasions,” he said.
“Hopefully, we will provide them with what they need for a warm and safe winter,” he added.
Most of the Syrian refugees who have recently entered the Kurdistan Region arrived through informal border crossings at Sehela and Al-Walid village, according to the JCC.
This is partly due to Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) restricting the number of people crossing the border.
“The new Syrian refugees Kurdistan are stating that there are strict security controls at the border inside Syria not allowing people to flee,” read JCC’s November report on refugees and IDPs.
“They have paid smugglers inside Syria around USD 250 USD per person to help them reach the border,” it added.
