Refugee children from Kobane at risk of malnutrition

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Kurdish refugee waits for transportation to a refugee camp after crossing into Turkey from Kobane on September 30, 2014 — Picture: Bryan Denton.

Thousands of people fled Kobane when Islamic State (IS/formerly ISIS) militants seized control of several areas within the autonomous canton in September 2014. Some of the refugees have taken refuge in Suruc district of Urfa, an estimate of 20,000 children aged 0-3 years are at imminent risk of malnutrition, while enduring severe winter conditions.

Some 300,000 people are estimated to have fled Kobane since the ongoing fighting between Kurdish forces and ISIS militants. On November 27th, a campaign was launched to provide formula milk and feeding bottles for infants.

The campaign has gained some international and local attention, but the donations are not sufficient to meet the demands. Ayse Toksoz, one of the leading campaigners has called for more aid to meet the requirement. She told ANF, “It is the babies and children that are affected the most by the ongoing war”.

She also said, “We aim to form kitchens in each tent city and neighbourhood to meet the basic needs of the children aged up to 5-years-old”. Toksoz called for more aid to help with the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the region.

This follows recent reports of malicious discrimination and targeting of Kurdish refugees in Turkey, which you can read about here.