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30 April 2003 by Till Mayer in the Albukamal camp Silence and a stuffy heat hang over the rows of tents in the Albukamal refugee camp, just a few hundred metres from the Iraqi border. Outside the camp, there is nothing to see but jagged stones and dusty brown-red earth. But this place, seemingly lost in the middle of the desert, represents a new future for Kaysar Younis and his family. It is the place that has provided safety after weeks of suffering, pain and insecurity. Many sad stories have been told in Albukamal. More than one thousand displaced people have passed through the Syrian Red Crescent (SARC) camp, most of them third country nationals from places like Sudan or Yemen, people, according to camp manager Raslan Assaad, “who have lost everything they have been working for for decades.” For some, it was even worse than that. Kaysar Younis lost three of his brothers in an air-strike. “They died as martyrs. All my family is proud of them”, he says. Sitting on a thin mattress that covers the dusty floor, he even attempts a smile. This businessman from Baghdad is a very religious person the white Galabiya, the traditional Arabian robe, reaches down to his ankle. With a few belongings, the family of four arrived a few days ago in Albukamal. The sun shines on their temporary canvas home, turning everything inside to a soft green. The past few weeks have changed Younis’s life irrevocably and mercilessly. In a split second everything the family had worked towards for such a long time lay in ruins. The new home they had invested all their money in was destroyed. Now all that remains are rubble and the graves of his three brothers, their names written on wooden boards. But Younis does not complain. “Thank god, my wife and two children are here in a safe place. We will start a new life in Malaysia”, the 34-year-old explains. He used to work there as a trader, and now intends to start a business selling computer programmes in Arabic. Now all he needs are the papers to travel to Kuala Lumpur. “I have good friends there. What the war taught me was that having friends is one of the most important things in life. Friends saved our life, bringing us to the Syrian border in their car,” Younis says. “They risked a lot on this dangerous drive. When we arrived, we found the five bullet holes in the car. But it gives you strength, when you know there are people with you. We have had a good start here in Albukamal, because we found new friends in the Red Crescent,” he adds, nodding at the camp manager, Raslan Assaad. His wife agrees. “I am happy that my children are no longer in danger. For me that is priceless.” Naif, the nine-year-old son, puts his head through the tent entrance: “I wish only one thing. Peace for all children in all countries of the world”. It is a wish no doubt shared by all those who have passed through the camp. Related links: Iraq humanitarian crisis Syria: appeals updates and reports Population movement Make a donation |
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