Published : 04-10-2020
Damascus Governor Mohamed AlAlebi is slated to pay a visit to Yarmouk Camp for Palestinian refugees in the next few days, pro-government sources in Syria reported.
According to the same sources, the visit comes in line with the final arrangements to make way for the return of displaced families to their habitable houses after obtaining permits to that end.
Sometime earlier, a report issued by AGPS under the title “Yarmouk Camp: What’s Behind the New Reconstruction Plan” has spotlighted the projected impact of the new master plan issued by Damascus Governorate on June 06, 2020 to reconstruct Yarmouk Camp.
The report warns that the new plan violates the residents’ ownership rights and swells up over 50% of old buildings and property owned by civilians. No compensations, except for small shares, are, however, proposed in the plan.
The reconstruction plan will also result in a removal of the camp’s demographic character. No more than 40% of the residents will be allowed to return to their homes in mildly damaged areas. Several families will not be able to prove property ownership due to such laws and regulations as Law 10, which allows the Syrian government to designate zones for redevelopment. The situation is even more complicated for those who lost their documents in the warfare as well as those currently sheltered abroad.
It is believed that in case the plan is implemented, over half of the residents will not be able to return to their houses which they have abandoned in the bloody warfare.
UN data indicates that before the eruption of the conflict in 2011, Yarmouk was home to approximately 160,000 Palestine refugees, making it the largest Palestine refugee community in Syria. Located eight kilometers from Damascus, it is one of three unofficial camps in Syria.
In April 2015, armed opposition groups captured over 60 per cent of the camp, containing over 90 per cent of the remaining civilian population. This not only made relief institutions unable to carry out any distributions inside Yarmouk but also displaced most of the remaining 18,000 Palestine refugees and other civilians to the neighboring areas of Yalda, Babila and Beit Saham (YBB).
Almost all the remaining Palestine refugees left during the final government offensive for Yarmouk in April-May 2018, after which the government retook control of the camp.
Damascus Governor Mohamed AlAlebi is slated to pay a visit to Yarmouk Camp for Palestinian refugees in the next few days, pro-government sources in Syria reported.
According to the same sources, the visit comes in line with the final arrangements to make way for the return of displaced families to their habitable houses after obtaining permits to that end.
Sometime earlier, a report issued by AGPS under the title “Yarmouk Camp: What’s Behind the New Reconstruction Plan” has spotlighted the projected impact of the new master plan issued by Damascus Governorate on June 06, 2020 to reconstruct Yarmouk Camp.
The report warns that the new plan violates the residents’ ownership rights and swells up over 50% of old buildings and property owned by civilians. No compensations, except for small shares, are, however, proposed in the plan.
The reconstruction plan will also result in a removal of the camp’s demographic character. No more than 40% of the residents will be allowed to return to their homes in mildly damaged areas. Several families will not be able to prove property ownership due to such laws and regulations as Law 10, which allows the Syrian government to designate zones for redevelopment. The situation is even more complicated for those who lost their documents in the warfare as well as those currently sheltered abroad.
It is believed that in case the plan is implemented, over half of the residents will not be able to return to their houses which they have abandoned in the bloody warfare.
UN data indicates that before the eruption of the conflict in 2011, Yarmouk was home to approximately 160,000 Palestine refugees, making it the largest Palestine refugee community in Syria. Located eight kilometers from Damascus, it is one of three unofficial camps in Syria.
In April 2015, armed opposition groups captured over 60 per cent of the camp, containing over 90 per cent of the remaining civilian population. This not only made relief institutions unable to carry out any distributions inside Yarmouk but also displaced most of the remaining 18,000 Palestine refugees and other civilians to the neighboring areas of Yalda, Babila and Beit Saham (YBB).
Almost all the remaining Palestine refugees left during the final government offensive for Yarmouk in April-May 2018, after which the government retook control of the camp.
