A "gradual" plan to close the "Al-Arisha" camp in Al-Hasakah
The Directorate of Social Affairs and Labor in Al-Hasakah revealed the implementation of what it described as a "gradual plan" to completely close the "Al-Arisha" camp, after years during which it was one of the most prominent centers for receiving displaced people in northeastern Syria.
The camp has witnessed a significant decline in the number of its residents since the beginning of the year, as about 75% of the families, most of whom hail from the countryside of Deir Ezzor and other governorates, have left, according to Ibrahim Khalaf, director of social affairs and labor in al-Hasakah, who said in a statement to the state-run SANA news agency that 93 families have left in the past two weeks alone, and only 20 families are left to arrange their return in preparation for declaring the camp empty and closing it permanently.
Khalaf pointed out that the decline in the pace of support and services provided by international organizations and local bodies inside the camp prompted many families to make the decision to leave, despite the difficult conditions that await them outside the camp.
The remaining families, Khalaf explains, are among those whose homes and property have been extensively destroyed, making it almost impossible to return to their areas without financial or logistical support, in light of the lack of the ability to rebuild or even cover transportation costs.
Khalaf revealed that a joint working team has been formed that includes the directorates of social affairs in Al-Hasakah and Deir Ezzor and the UNHCR, which held several meetings with the remaining families to discuss their needs and overcome obstacles to their voluntary return, stressing that the Directorate of Social Affairs in Deir Ezzor will work to provide all possible assistance to families as soon as they arrive in their areas.
Al-Arisha Camp
Al-Arisha camp, which was established in 2017 south of Al-Hasakah, is one of the largest camps that received IDPs from Deir Ezzor and Raqqa over the past years, as it included about 18,000 IDPs at its peak, and over time, the number of residents gradually declined as security conditions improved in some areas, and international support allocated to the camps decreased.
Although the closure of the camp represents an organizational step for the supervisory authorities, it also opens up a complex humanitarian file related to the fate of families who have lost everything, and today face the challenges of returning to devastated areas or searching for housing alternatives that are not available.
The camp has previously faced repeated drowning due to its proximity to the southern dam lake, and has also witnessed sporadic fire incidents due to the nature of the plastic tents. Residents have suffered from severe shortages of medical and material resources throughout the years of displacement.
Other camps in Al-Hasakah
Al-Hasakah governorate includes a wide range of camps that were established over the past years to house displaced people and refugees, but its field map is currently witnessing rapid changes with the implementation of evacuation and voluntary return plans and the complete closure of a number of camps.
These camps include shelters for displaced people from Ras al-Ain, such as the Vanguard Camp (Tuwaina) and the Washokani camp, which include thousands of families suffering from a severe decline in basic services, in addition to security closed camps for the families of the "Islamic State", most notably al-Hol camp, which has been fully evacuated and dismantled, and Roj camp, which continues to receive foreign families under tight security measures.
Nowruz continues to receive some of the affected Yazidi families since 2014, and these camps face worsening challenges including harsh climate, declining humanitarian support, and the difficulty of returning displaced people to their areas of origin due to widespread destruction or continued tensions on the ground.
Syria Without Camps by 2027 Initiative
President Ahmed Al-Sharaa announced the Syrian government's commitment to completely close the camps file by 2027 as part of a comprehensive national plan aimed at resettling the displaced and securing their return to their areas of origin, in a way that guarantees them a dignified and stable life, this came in a recorded speech before the 79th session of the World Health Assembly on May 18, 2026.
The Syria Without Camps initiative – known as the Syria Without Camps Vision 2026-2027 – is a comprehensive national strategy that aims to end the entire internal displacement file and evacuate all IDP camps in the country by the end of 2027, by moving from temporary relief to sustainable recovery.
The initiative is based on transforming the management of the displacement file from a mere "management of shelters" to "managing living conditions and sustainable returns", through four main axes, including voluntary and safe return through the organization of return trips that preserve the dignity of the displaced, the rehabilitation of infrastructure in the areas of return in cooperation with the World Bank and UN agencies, the provision of livelihoods by linking alternative housing projects to employment opportunities and local production, in addition to addressing legal and real estate rights to ensure the stabilization of ownership and the prevention of future conflicts.