Al-Azraq refugee camp
| Al-Azraq refugee camp | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Coordinates | 31 ° 54 '19 " N , 36 ° 34' 51" E | ||
| Basic data | |||
| Country | Jordan | ||
| Zarqa | |||
| ISO 3166-2 | JO-AZ | ||
| height | 622 m | ||
| surface | 15 km² | ||
| Residents | 40.001 (March 11, 2019) | ||
| density | 2,666.7 Ew. / km² | ||
The al-Azraq refugee camp ( Arabic مخيم الأزرق, DMG Muḫayyam al-Azraq ) is a refugee camp near al-Azraq , Jordan, which was built for refugees from the Syrian civil war and is divided into 6 villages. It was developed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in cooperation with the Jordanian government and has been operated by them since it opened in April 2014. As of March 2019, around 40,000 refugees are living in the camp.
history
Construction and goals
Construction of the camp began in May 2013. The site, which is 20 kilometers west of al-Azraq in a hot desert area and 90 kilometers from the Jordanian-Syrian border, had previously been used as a transit camp for displaced Iraqis and Kuwait people during the Second Gulf War . The camp itself extends for around 15 kilometers.
The distinctive feature of the new warehouse are the rows of white cabins with insulation and sloping roofs that were intended to serve as accommodation. A British reporter described the “desolate camp” as “like a strange version of a music festival on the horizon”. The shelters were built of zinc and steel to withstand the hot and windy conditions. Cement and concrete were not used in the construction of the camp to emphasize that Jordan advised that the camp should not be permanent.
The camp was intended to overcome some of the problems that had arisen in the overcrowded and troubled Zaatari refugee camp , which was closer to the border.The al-Azraq camp's facilities, such as health clinics and children's playgrounds, were structured in a decentralized manner , with the idea of keeping villages within of the camp. The head of the UNHCR camp said in April 2014: “We have examined what has been done in Zaatari and other refugee camps around the world and tried to plan carefully. It's not a luxury that we normally have - spending months preparing with our partners ”Another UNHCR official said,“ What you see when you drive around is possibly one of the best refugee camps in the world ”. The cost of building the camp was estimated at $ 63.5 million, with funding from international donors.
The first refugees arrived on April 28, 2014. When the camp opened, it offered accommodation for 25,000 people with an infrastructure for about 50,000 people that could be expanded to accommodate 130,000 or more people. It thus had the potential to become one of the largest refugee camps not only in Syria but also in the world, possibly second only to the Dadaab camp in Kenya. At that time, Jordan already had around 600,000 registered refugees within its borders, although the real number could be twice that.
After the opening
After the opening, the camp was not populated to the extent expected. In March 2015, the al-Azraq refugee camp had only 14,500 refugees, although it was assumed that by then there would be over 60,000. Some of the reasons were external influences such as For example, the fear of Islamic State fighters entering the country together with refugees, or the Jordanian government, which was concerned about possible donation fatigue and the long-term costs of housing the refugees. Other reasons were also due to the camp itself: More than half of the 35,000 refugees who had come to the camp had already left to settle illegally in several Jordanian cities.
An early problem in the camp was the lack of electricity as the camp is remote. Refugees therefore had to use solar lights instead. Among other things, this made it difficult for the refugees to charge their cell phones and thus stay in contact with family members outside the camp. Little by little, some generators were available. Other refugees were worried about mice, snakes and scorpions. The desolate nature of the camp worked against itself; As one elderly refugee said when he arrived with his relatives, “When I arrived and saw the camp, I almost had a heart attack. The feeling of emptiness and insecurity overwhelmed me. "
In June 2015, the al-Azraq refugee camp was still only used by around 18,500 refugees. The most common reasons given for refugees not wanting to stay there were very high temperatures in the summer months, persistent chronic power outages and high food prices. Some of the refugees in the camp were given permits to visit Jordanian cities and never returned. The camp remained secure, but "the only risk is that you will die of boredom".
When the Syrian refugee crisis became public awareness around the world at the end of 2015, the state of the al-Azraq refugee camp was included in political considerations. In November 2015, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson visited the camp to try to strengthen his foreign policy expertise during his 2016 US presidential campaign. He concluded that refugees should not come to the United States but should be housed in nearby countries in the Middle East . The Mail on Sunday in December 2015 expressed doubts about the wisdom of Prime Minister David Cameron's policy towards the refugee crisis due to the emptiness of the camp.
The camp's population gradually increased in the second half of 2015, but remained well below original expectations. Another problem with the occupation of the camp was the large number of refugees who were held in a military-controlled area along the border with Syria, where their progress was slow for security reasons as well as other reasons. Efforts to improve the electricity situation in the warehouse continued with a 10 million dollar project with 6 megawatts of solar power, the first parts of which should go online in mid-2016. The first part was completed with the completion of a solar system with a capacity of two megawatts in May 2017. Now a second 5 megawatt solar system is to be built, which will be financed with funds from the European Union .
In 2018 the center of the warehouse was redesigned with mosaics.
Infrastructure
The camp has health facilities, educational facilities , kindergartens and playgrounds , supermarkets , mosques , gas and water storage facilities, and food distribution centers. Through numerous centers such as B. a youth center and a soccer field are leisure activities possible.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Situation Syria Regional Refugee Response. Retrieved March 24, 2019 .
- ↑ a b c d e f Yolande Knell: Azraq: How a refugee camp is built from scratch . April 30, 2014 ( bbc.com [accessed March 24, 2019]).
- ↑ a b c d Azraq Refugee Camp officially opened. April 30, 2014, accessed March 24, 2019 .
- ↑ a b c d Azraq Refugee Camp Opens For 130,000 Syrians Fleeing War. May 31, 2014, accessed March 24, 2019 .
- ↑ a b c d Peter Beaumont: Jordan opens new Syrian refugee camp . In: The Guardian . April 30, 2014, ISSN 0261-3077 ( theguardian.com [accessed March 24, 2019]).
- ↑ a b All but deserted ... the £ 100m ghost camp for refugees that YOU pay for. December 19, 2015, accessed March 24, 2019 .
- ↑ Rana F. Sweis: New Refugee Camp in Jordan Tries to Create a community for Syrians . In: The New York Times . May 30, 2014, ISSN 0362-4331 ( nytimes.com [accessed March 24, 2019]).
- ↑ a b Rana F. Sweis: Despite Good Intentions, Vacancies in Refugee Camp in Jordan for Syrians . In: The New York Times . March 15, 2015, ISSN 0362-4331 ( nytimes.com [accessed March 24, 2019]).
- ^ A b Julia Pyper: Solar Power to Light Up Syrian Refugee Camps in Jordan. December 14, 2015, accessed March 24, 2019 .
- ↑ Jordan's Azraq Syrian refugee camp stands largely empty. Retrieved March 24, 2019 .
- ↑ a b Adam Taylor: Refugee camp is partially empty while thousands wait at Jordanian border. In: Washington Post. March 11, 2016, accessed March 24, 2019 .
- ^ The gray ghost town and the camp in search of a soul. Retrieved March 24, 2019 .
- ^ Carson visits refugee camp, says Mideast should absorb Syrians. Retrieved March 24, 2019 (American English).
- ↑ 2 MW solar plant powers Jordan's Azraq refugee camp. Retrieved March 24, 2019 (American English).
- ↑ Jordan's Azraq refugee camp to get another 5 MW PV plant. Retrieved March 24, 2019 (American English).
- ↑ Artists work with refugees to create mosaic park in Azraq camp. December 1, 2018, accessed March 24, 2019 .
- ^ Azraq Refugee Camp: Camp Infrastructure and Facilities. (PDF; 8.23 MB) UNHCR, March 2018, accessed on March 24, 2019 .