Al Hol camp in northeastern Syria is now largely empty, a Syrian government official has told Sky News, as authorities struggle to track residents who left after the state assumed control.
The camp, which has for years housed tens of thousands of women and children linked to suspected ISIS fighters, as well as displaced Syrians and Iraqis, was previously run by Kurdish-led authorities. The Syrian government took over the site last month amid an expansion of its control in the area.
Fadi al Qassem, the Syrian foreign ministry’s representative for al Hol camp administration, said families had escaped as government forces arrived because the camp is large and smuggling routes are varied. He added that the camp was already largely empty when Syrian forces entered, with guards gone and gates open. Authorities then struggled to prevent further departures.
Mr al Qassem said officials faced challenges due to unreliable population records and long-standing smuggling networks. They found evidence of forged documents, with some families using multiple registration cards belonging to people who had already left illegally. Authorities are now attempting to trace those who left outside official channels using records from international partners, including the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
The UNHCR said on Sunday it had observed a significant drop in residents in recent weeks. Gonzalo Vargas Llosa, UNHCR representative in Syria, said local authorities had informed the agency of plans to relocate remaining families and had requested support, which the agency is providing.
The government plans to fully empty the camp. Remaining families are being transferred to sites in Akhtarin and Jarabulus in northern Aleppo province, near the Turkish border. Container units and concrete shelters are already in place, Mr al Qassem said. Most of those being moved are women and children, and rehabilitation and social integration programmes are planned. He added that al Hol would not be restored, citing extensive damage and high rehabilitation costs.
The first convoy left earlier this week, coordinated by Syria’s emergency ministry and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. Ten buses and 35 trucks were deployed, with further transfers planned.
Former Kurdish staff who ran al Hol have raised security concerns over the rapid emptying. Jihan Hanan, who managed the camp for four years until last month, said there is no clear tracking of those who have left. Her last official figures, from 19 January, put the camp’s population at around 23,000.
Ms Hanan said a video circulating online shows a former resident inside her vandalised office, threatening her by name and warning other staff. She said the threats created fear for her and her children. Many former residents blamed camp staff for their detention, and more than 1,000 civilian and humanitarian workers who had run al Hol now fear reprisals.