ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United States announced on Wednesday that it assisted Tanzania in repatriating one woman and three children from the Roj camp in northeast Syria (Rojava) earlier this month, expressing gratitude to its local partner, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), for facilitating the transfer.
“With U.S. government assistance, Tanzania repatriated one woman and three children from the Roj displaced persons camp in northeast Syria on Monday, August 11,” the State Department said in a statement.
Washington also thanked the Tanzanian government for cooperating on the repatriation and praised “our local partners, the Syrian Democratic Forces, for their assistance” and their “commitment to ensure the enduring defeat of [the Islamic State] ISIS.”
The US-backed SDF played a critical role in defeating ISIS in Syria in 2019 and has since captured thousands of the group’s fighters. Today, the Kurdish-led forces continue joint operations with US forces as part of the global coalition against ISIS.
The SDF, which serves as the de facto military force in Rojava, is also tasked with securing the Roj and al-Hol camps in Syria’s Hasaka province - two notorious camps that house thousands of individuals with suspected links to ISIS.
As of late July, Rudaw English learned that al-Hol was home to more than 28,000 people, including 6,654 Iraqis, 15,364 Syrians, and 6,401 foreigners, according to Sheikhmous Ahmed, one of the officials overseeing camps in Rojava.
In its Wednesday statement, the State Department reiterated that the only sustainable solution to the ongoing humanitarian and security crisis in these camps is for countries to repatriate their nationals and commit to rehabilitation, reintegration, and, when appropriate, prosecution.
“Repatriation will also reduce the risk of an ISIS resurgence in the region and help ensure a stable future for Syria,” the statement emphasized.
The recent repatriation followed a mid-August visit to Rojava by a Tanzanian delegation led by Nasriya Mohammed Nasser, commissioner at Tanzania’s embassy in Cairo.
Nasser oversaw the handover and expressed her government’s gratitude to the Kurdish-led Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES), the SDF, and all involved partners. She also pledged Tanzania’s support for continued stability and development in the region.
The repatriation of Tanzanians comes as a delegation led by Nasriya Mohammed Nasser, commissioner at Dodoma’s embassy in Cairo, visited Rojava in mid-August to oversee the handover.
For its part, Iraq has also been repatriating its citizens from the Roj and al-Hol camps in batches since 2021. By late July, around 15,000 Iraqis had been returned, with nearly 10,000 resettled in their hometowns and villages, according to an Iraqi migration ministry official.
Baghdad is also preparing to host a conference in Geneva this September aimed at encouraging further international repatriations. The Iraqi government has set a target to repatriate all its citizens from the camps in Rojava by 2027.
Despite ongoing efforts, many countries remain hesitant to repatriate their nationals, citing concerns over the spread of extremist ideology at home.
