Yousuf Ahmed, 28, has been living with his elderly mother and two younger brothers in Al Waleed camp for the last three years. They fled there to escape from the persecution and violence they were suffering in Baghdad in the hope that they would be able to eventually find safety in another country.
With every day that they stay in the camp, Yousuf and his family are becoming more and more despondent about their future. Although they have access to food, water, healthcare and shelter thanks to Islamic Relief, the uncertainty about their future has placed a massive psychological burden on them.
“Everyone in this camp is tired and unhappy,” said Yousuf. “We are all waiting and waiting, but there has been no change in our situation.”
“I am used to this situation. I have had 28 years of suffering, but it is hard to see other people suffer, especially my mother who cries every day.”
Threats and abuse
Yousuf’s family was originally from Palestine, and like other Palestinians in Iraq they were repeatedly threatened and abused after the start of the 2003 conflict, until eventually they were forced out of their home in Baghdad.
First they travelled to Jordan where they stayed in a refugee camp but then Yousuf’s brother fell ill and they returned back to Baghdad. With no home they settled in a camp for Palestinian refugees until the security situation became so volatile that they fled to the Syrian border.
But like the other Palestinian refugees in Al Waleed camp, Yousuf and his family were not allowed to pass into Syria and have been stuck in this desert wasteland ever since.
“Before the war started there were some problems with people saying bad things about Palestinians, but at that time it was just words,” said Yousuf. “But after the war the problems moved from psychological threats to physical violence.”
“There was so much persecution against us Palestinians in Baghdad,” explained Yousuf. “I don’t know why this started but after the war started Palestinians were being beaten, kidnapped and arrested. I was arrested twice, and after the second time my family and I decided to leave.”
Feeling worthless
Yousuf now lives with his family in a large tent in Al Waleed camp close to the Syrian border. The tent is clean and tidy with separate areas for cooking and sleeping. Islamic Relief provides all the refugees in the camp with food, water and fuel for cooking and eating, and inside the camp there is a clinic where they can access free healthcare.
But despite this assistance, Yousuf and his mother Nadra both suffer from depression brought about after years of violence and the uncertainty of their future. Mental health problems are rife in the camp as people struggle to adjust to life without freedom or the ability to control their own future.
“I am the eldest of my three brothers and when my father died ten years ago I took responsibility for my family,” continued Yousuf. “Back in Baghdad I was a carpenter and I had my own shop. But in this camp none of the men have jobs, and this makes us feel worthless and devastated.”
Uncertain futures
“The main problems that we face as refugees are not related to shortages of food or water. There is no starvation in this camp and people are in good physical health,” said Yousuf. “But the psychological pressures that we face cannot be addressed. We are human beings and living with such uncertainty about our future is affecting all of us.”
Many Palestinian refugees in Al Waleed have begun to move to other countries such as the USA and Romania. Although Yousuf and his family have had their interviews, so far there is no news about when it will be their turn.
“Wherever I go I will serve that country because they will have helped me so much,” said Yousuf. “At the moment I don’t know if I am Palestinian or Iraqi. The Iraqis think I am Palestinian, but I was born here in Iraq; I have lived here all my life and all my friends are from this country.”
“If I manage to move to another country then my dream is to get married and to start my own business. I won’t give up hope because I want to move on with my life.”