5 Things you should know about "Al-Hol" Northeast Syria

1 - Al-Hol camp was first established as a refugee camp. After the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the last stronghold of the Islamic State in Syria, thousands of people were displaced to Al Hol.

This includes 11,000 women and children from 60 nationalities who were held in a separate annexed and more restrictive area of the camp.

2 - Today, Al-Hol population sands at around 57,000 people. Most of them are children.
In 2021, 35% of people who died in Al Hol camp were children under the age of 16 years old.

3 - Boys entering their teenage years are violently separated from their mothers or caregivers in "the Annex".
There is little or no information on where they are taken or what happens to them.

4 - Al-Hol is now effectively an outdoor prison, where people have been stripped of their rights - exposed to violence and insecurity.

5 - MSF has been providing free medical services in Al-Hol camp since January 2019.
The nearly 60 countries with citizens in Al-Hol must provide long term solutions including a timeline for their return. Too many children have taken their first and last breaths in the camp.