Kobani Shelters Overwhelmed by Displaced People Amid Ongoing Siege

ANHA

One of the shelters, that appears to be a school, in Kobani, northern Syria.

Displaced people are currently sheltering in at least 70 temporary centres across the city of Kobani, north of Syria, as the city struggles to cope with a growing humanitarian crisis amid an ongoing siege.

The shelters include schools, mosques, kindergartens, wedding halls and vacant shops. However, local authorities say these facilities are insufficient to accommodate the rapidly increasing number of displaced people, as appeals continue to lift the siege affecting more than 600,000 residents and displaced persons.

Ahmed Khoja, Co-Chair of the Social Affairs Authority in the Euphrates Canton, told Hawar News Agency that the situation facing displaced families is extremely dire. “Kobani is under a severe and suffocating siege imposed by factions of the Syrian Interim Government,” he said.

Khoja explained that the siege has now entered its fourteenth day, forcing residents from surrounding areas to flee their homes due to ongoing attacks. “Kobani is under enormous pressure,” he said, noting that the city is already hosting displaced people from Raqqa and Tabqa, as well as residents of the Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhood and those previously displaced from Girê Spî/Tal Abyad and housed in Tal Saman camp.

“As a result, more than 600,000 people are now living inside the city of Kobani,” Khoja added.

He also highlighted the impact of harsh weather conditions and the strain placed on local residents. “Families in Kobani have opened their homes to the displaced, with each household hosting four or five families. However, this alone was not sufficient, which is why around 70 shelters were opened. Even these measures are no longer enough to meet the scale of the crisis.”

Khoja warned that the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate, stressing that no food aid has yet reached the city. “Fuel, baby formula and medicines have completely run out. Shops have been emptied due to the siege, and even basic necessities are no longer available,” he said.

He concluded by calling for urgent international intervention, stating: “The most critical shortage is baby formula. A humanitarian corridor must be opened immediately for Kobani.”



PUKMEDIA