Syrian refugees near border burn clothes to stay warm

By Esref Musa and Burak Karacaoglu

IDLIB, Syria

Tens of thousands of Syrian refugees residing in camps near the Turkish border are struggling to survive harsh winter conditions for the eighth time since the conflict erupted in 2011.

Unable to afford fuel or wood, they have resorted to burning plastics and nylon, smoke from which is known to cause respiratory problems.

This winter, relief agencies were able to provide only 20 percent of the refugees with heating supplies.

Um Ahmad, a 43-year-old female refugee, told Anadolu Agency: "We spend our days at the hospital, or bringing medication from pharmacies. We cannot afford wood or fuel to burn, so sometimes we have to burn clothes to keep warm."

Ahmad Abu Suleiman, another camp resident, likewise lamented the harsh winter conditions faced by refugees.

“It’s cold. The children get sick all the time,” he said. “We use whatever we can get a hold of for fuel: cartons, nylon, old tires, whatever.”

He added: “When we can't find anything else, we burn children's clothes to stay warm.”

Eight-year-old Kasim Sukayr, a refugee from the west-central city of Hama, for his part, voiced similar desperation.

“We don't have any money, so we have to use nylon, shoes -- anything we can find -- for fuel,” he told Anadolu Agency.

Ten-year-old refugee Selim Juneyt said: “We can’t find any fuel or wood; we don't have the money to buy it.”

Juneyt added that smoke produced by burning plastics had caused his brother to suffer respiratory problems.

Abdul-Ghaffar Mohammed, a refugee at a camp in eastern Hama, said it was “heartbreaking” to see children struggling against the harsh winter.

“I don't have money to buy bread for my children, let alone the ability to keep them warm,” he said. “Death is easier than this life.”

Abdullah Ammuri, a doctor at one of the camps, told Anadolu Agency that most health complaints, especially those among children and pregnant women, were due mainly to respiratory issues.

“After looking into the matter, we found that camp residents were using primitive and unhealthy means of keeping warm,” Ammuri said.

Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected severity.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians have reportedly been killed or displaced by the conflict, mainly by regime airstrikes carried out in opposition-held areas.

*Ali Murat Alhas contributed to this report from Ankara