21. The Roj camp is much smaller, holding some 1,800 women and children and covering around
10 hectares. A significant influx of detainees arrived in 2017 after fleeing ISIL-held territory
and being taken into custody by SDF and other anti-ISIL coalition forces. In order to deal with
the numbers in detention, and overcrowding experienced at the al Hol camp, an extension
to the Roj camp, with the capacity to hold 395 households, was opened in August 2020.
Following an initial transfer of 92 households (comprising around 270 individuals, more than
half of these children), sporadic transfers of women and children from the main Roj camp
and the al Hol Annex have taken place. Transfers to the Roj extension have, as far as RSI has
been able to confirm, comprised only foreign country nationals. The reasons why particular
individuals have been selected for transfer are not clear, and no official explanation has been
given for any transfers to date.
13
RIGHTS & SECURITY INTERNATIONAL
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents