French women, children repatriated from Syria camps

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - France repatriated over 16 French women and dozens of children affiliated with the Islamic State (ISIS) from Syria camps, a senior official said on Tuesday.

"Over 16 women and 35 children" were handed over to a French delegation from the foreign ministry, the co-chair of northeast Syria’s (Rojava) foreign relations commission Abdulkarim Omar said in a tweet. 

The French foreign ministry said the minors were handed over to child protection services while the women would face judicial proceedings. 

Save the Children on Monday afternoon welcomed the repatriation.

"Finally away from this camp, these children can start to have hope about their lives and futures," Matthew Sugrue, acting Syria response director said. 

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrested thousands of ISIS fighters along with their wives and children when they took control of the group’s last stronghold in Syria in March 2019. Most of these people are held at al-Hol and Roj camps.

The notorious al-Hol camp, the larger of the two camps, houses around 56,000, according to UN figures. 

Kurdish and US officials have made repeated calls on the international community to repatriate their nationals from the camps, where children are exposed to ISIS ideology, but only a few countries have responded positively. Most are worried about security concerns and are generally limiting repatriations, even for children.

France has previously repatriated its nationals from Syrian camps.

Last year, it took back seven “particularly vulnerable” ISIS linked children. 

However, despite its repatriation efforts, the United Nations in February said that France has “violated the rights of French children” detained in Syrian camps by “failing to repatriate them.” 

“The children are living in inhuman sanitary conditions, lacking basic necessities including water, food, and health care, and facing an imminent risk of death,” Ann Skelton, member of the UN Child Rights Committee said.

“At least 62 children have reportedly died in the camps as a result of these conditions since the beginning of 2021,” she added.

Thousands of children of foreign nationals suspected to have been part of ISIS live in difficult conditions at the Roj and al-Hol detention camps in Rojava. Human rights groups have called camp conditions “filthy”, “often inhuman” and “life-threatening”.

The camps, specifically al-Hol, also witness regular crimes and killings. 

It has recorded at least 31 murders so far this year, Rojava Information Center confirmed to Rudaw English.

Updated at 3:35 pm