Calls grow for Australia to repatriate citizens as Roj camp deteriorates

Conditions in the north‑eastern Syrian Roj camp have worsened sharply, with reports of near‑nightly raids and increasingly violent beatings. The 11 women and 23 Australian children who were forcibly returned found their tents — once lined along an area known as Australia Street — demolished and their possessions taken, and Kurdish officials have reportedly refused to return the tents, scattering the group across an unstable, shrinking camp.

The women and children, described as the wives, widows and children of slain or jailed Islamic State fighters, were given Australian passports and permission to leave Roj but were stopped when Syrian government officials refused their convoy permission to cross into government‑controlled territory, forcing them back to the camp.

Human rights groups and child welfare advocates have urged the Australian government to prioritise the safety of the children and repatriate them.

Syria, Roj camp, north-eastern Syria

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