On Monday, May 12, 2025, a fire of unknown cause broke out in the Ataa camp for displaced persons, located within the Atma camp complex in the northern countryside of Idlib Governorate. The fire destroyed nine prefabricated shops within the camp, with no human casualties.
According to information SNHR obtained from local sources, the fire caused varying degrees of material damage to the shops and their contents. The cause of the fire remains unknown at the time of publication, and the network is continuing to gather information and verify the circumstances.
Legal & Humanitarian Conclusions
The burning of prefabricated shops in Ataa Camp highlights the fragility of economic infrastructure in displacement settings. The lack of emergency equipment, such as a shelter, demonstrates shortcomings in humanitarian planning and response, and violates the principle of “prevention and preparedness” enshrined in international policies for responding to internal displacement.
The continued reliance of displaced persons on prefabricated housing and shops in environments unprepared for emergencies demonstrates a profound failure to ensure the minimum requirements for adequate housing and economic security. It also reflects the absence of comprehensive response plans that include protecting livelihoods from sudden events. This places a double responsibility on local authorities and international humanitarian organizations to develop an integrated shelter infrastructure that takes into account livelihood stability, structural integrity, and the sustainability of economic activity within the camps.
Recommendations by SNHR
- Activating an urgent emergency plan to secure safe alternatives for damaged facilities, including rehabilitating or replacing burned shops, providing immediate assistance to affected merchants, and supporting livelihoods within the camp, in coordination between United Nations organizations (OCHA, UNHCR) and local humanitarian organizations.
- Increase humanitarian funding allocated to the shelter sector in northern Syria, especially for areas with high concentrations of displaced persons, and involve local communities in resource management to reduce total dependence on external aid.
- Providing special protection to vulnerable groups, such as children, the elderly, and women inside camps, through specialized protection teams that monitor health and living conditions and respond to cases of vulnerability.
- Accelerate reconstruction efforts in areas of origin, and support safe and sustainable voluntary return policies, including mine clearance, infrastructure rehabilitation, and ensuring transitional justice.
- Preparing a unified humanitarian database for camps, including information on structure, needs, damage, and population, to ensure a more efficient and coordinated response among actors.
