TSF assesses the situation of Kurdish refugees on the Turkish-Syrian border

During the weekend of 20th – 21st September, over 30 towns in the north of Kurdish Syria were seized by ISIS in a violent and mortal attack. These combats lead to the displacement of over 130,000 Kurds across the border into Turkey. Télécoms Sans Frontières deployed both a team from its headquarters as well as its Syrian logistics coordinators to the border and its surrounding areas.

The mission was focused on obtaining and diffusing vital field information amongst other NGOs working in the area. Taking into account the situation’s instability, it was just as important for TSF to be present amongst the refugees both in the camps and on the border.

The field assessment showed that the humanitarian needs were highly significant – this was confirmed during several meetings with the UNHCR, Barzani (Kurdish NGO) and the City Hall of Suruç – a border town holding tens of thousands of refugees.

Assessment results confirmed that refugees were already able to benefit from a fairly stable means of mobile communication thanks to Turkish mobile operators, however TSF remained present for one week in the event of the deterioration of the situation.

At the end of the week, TSF retired from the zone. Nevertheless, our Syrian logisticians on the ground will remain on red alert for the coming weeks and will be ready to deploy at any given moment to provide support to the refugees and organisations in the field.