Reports | 25 05 2020
Aziz escaped from the camp of “Ekda”, which he was displaced in, in the northern countryside of Aleppo, taking his family with him in the middle of the night, with hundreds of other families, who fled after the approaching battles between armed opposition forces, and “ISIS”. Although the opposition forces managed to keep "ISIS" away from the camp, but it remained empty of civilians, after a night of "horror", experienced by the IDPs.
Aziz says: "We were asleep in the camp, woke up at night, and heard the clashes getting closer to the camp. It was only a short time until the camp has become a target of shooting, to the point that some of the shells fell on the camp, so we had to flee immediately."
According to the man, a lot of IDPs ware able to get out of the camp, but the others remained in it until the morning, despite targeting the camp by the shells of “ISIS”, what led to the death of a woman and her child, and caused fires in more than 10 tents.
Bad Fortunes!
Several testimonies by civilians tell what happened to the camp during the night, "Abu Ahmed", who has a bad luck, was forced to flee from “Tal Rifaat” after the recent events in the city, leaving behind his home, searching for a place to him and his family. Until they settled in the camps located in the north.
But Abu Ahmed fell in another calamity, because after a period, the clashes between the opposition and ISIS approached to the camp they were in, what exposed them to the danger again, and forced them to go in another exodus trip.
"After we fled from Tal Rifaat, I stayed at the camp of “Ekda” by nearly a month, but after ISIS was able to progress towards the camp, the shells were hitting us, and we couldn’t wait until the morning till the clashes subsided."
He added: "ISIS didn’t allow us to leave the camp at first, but after one pm they changed their minds and opened the way for us, and ultimately we see our lives are all about displacement."
Thousands have been displaced in one night
“Ekda” camp houses hundreds of families, and each family has a story to tell about that panic night. “Abu Khalid” fled from the town of Meneg towards “Ekda” and settled in it for a long time, until the shells start falling on the camp, what killed people and burned tents, that made him rush to leave with his family to a safer place.
He said about that night: "we fled to save our lives, leaving our things behind, and headed immediately toward the camps in “Bab Salama” crossing near the border, and we stayed in a refugee camp called “Risala”, where we found safety.
The camp came back but no longer its population
“Ekda” camp of housed about seven thousand civilians, mostly displaced from the northern countryside of Aleppo, where the areas witnessed clashes over the past months.
What sets it apart from others, its proximity to the Syrian-Turkish border, it is only 500 meters from the border, but ISIS became close making the camp unsafe, especially since ISIS targeted it by mortar, to vacate the camp.
The media activist, Omar Shamali said to Rozana: "most of the IDPs who were living in the camp have escaped, although the opposition regained control of it, but that night witnessed by then, was already terrifying, and led to the evacuation of the camp of its population completely."
He also confirms, that a significant part of the residents has fled to the border areas with Turkey, and some fled to the eastern countryside of Aleppo, in ISIS strongholds! Where the troops forced people to stay in the area, and prevented them of getting out.
A whole camp included seven thousand civilians, tells the tragedy that took place in one night, and despite the opposition regain control of the camp but it was completely empty of civilians, while its ruins tell the story of the suffering of civilians, who have been forced to move many times.
