France repatriates 51 women and children from Syrian camps – ‘major shift’ in policy 

France has repatriated 51 nationals – 35 children and 16 mothers – from camps in Syria who were family members of suspected Islamic State group jihadists have been held, the foreign ministry confirmed on Tuesday. Of the 51, several are orphaned children who had been in detention in the northeast of the country for the past three years.

The women have alleged ties with the terrorist organisation – having travelled to the region when IS was still active – and have been placed in detention. That includes two non-citizens, who have French children. 

It’s a major shift in French policy. 

Historically, France has a poor track record for repatriating its nationals from the region, having previously stated they should be tried where their crimes had been committed. 

Authorities in France have focused almost exclusively on repatriating children on a case-by-case basis. Over 200 children remained before this last operation – something families and international organisations have condemned.

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child condemned France this year for having violated the International Convention of the Rights of the Child by exposing these kids to inhuman and degrading treatment and by undermining their right to life. 

Thousands of foreigners have been held in camps after the Kurdish forces – with the backing of an international coalition – defeated the Islamic State. 

Men had been taken to local prisons across the region whilst women and children were placed in camps for Syrians displaced by the where annexes were built to hold suspected “ISIS members.” 

The children who were repatriated were handed over to child welfare services and will be medically monitored. The mothers were handed over to the judicial authorities.

The statement from the French foreign ministry thanked local authorities in northeast Syria for their cooperation in making the operation possible. 

Conditions in the camps 

The children forced to live in such camps faced a dire situation. The camps have limited water distribution and medical services. Dozens of children died of complications from diseases such as cholera.

Last year, a French woman died of chronic disease. Her daughter – then aged 6 – is believed to be among those being repatriated today.

Human rights groups have long urged France and other Western nations to bring home the children who were brought to the territories in Syria and Iraq once controlled by IS by their parents or born there during the fighting. 

Malnutrition and disease are rife in the camps, and one of the biggest and most overcrowded is Al Hol, where children are witnessing “devastating levels of violence daily, leading to nightmares, psychological problems, and fear for their own lives”, according to a 2021 Save the Children report. 

In 2021, an average of more than 2 people were killed per week, meaning Al Hol, per capita, was one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a child, the report says. 

‘A first victory’ – the reaction 

The families of the French nationals being held in these prisons have been calling on the French authorities to repatriate their children and grandchildren so the adults could face a fair trial and the children could have a chance to be children. 

In a statement released after the government announcement, the group said they hope Emmanuel Macron’s words that “the next five years will be that of child protection” will be turned into action. 

“This repatriation brings hope to so many families who have suffered for years from seeing their grandchildren wasting away in sordid camps. France has shown that it has the capacity to repatriate: we must now and definitively close this shameful page in our history, without delay,” the statement reads.

A father of one woman who is still in the Al Roj camp – where a majority of the European nationals left in the region are held – told Euronews the family believes this is a “first victory”, especially because its the first time women are being bought back alongside their children. 

Albert said the “nightmare” for him continues but he can see a light at the end of the tunnel. He has hopes of meeting his grandchild soon, “M” just turned three and, Albert says, resembles his grandfather.