Returning three women and ten children from Syrian refugee camps back to France
In a significant development, France has repatriated three female children and ten children from Syrian prisons. The operation, carried out on a specific day, marks the latest in a series of efforts by several countries, including France, Germany, and the UK, to bring their citizens back from Syrian camps in recent years.
According to reports, France has repatriated a total of 179 children and 60 female children since 2019. In this latest operation, the ages of the repatriated female children range between 18 and 34.
The fate of the repatriated children is yet to be specified. Some of the children, in a separate operation, have been handed over to child care services. However, the status of the children repatriated in this latest operation is unclear.
As for the female children, it is not clear if any of them have been taken into police custody, though two of the repatriated female children in a previous operation have been taken into custody, while the third faces possible indictment. It is also not clear if any of the female children repatriated in this operation face possible indictment.
The number of children and French female children remaining in the camps as of June stands at 120 children and 50 French female children. This operation has reduced the number of children and female children repatriated by France since 2019 to 169 children and 50 female children.
France's foreign ministry thanked the Syrian transitional authorities and the local administration in northeastern Syria for making the operation possible. However, it is not clear if the foreign ministry has thanked the authorities for this specific operation.
Marie Dose, a lawyer who represents the repatriated female children, described the move as an 'immense and indescribable relief' for families waiting for the return of their relatives.
This repatriation comes after Europe's top human rights court condemned France's refusal to repatriate two French female children who were being held in Syria after joining their Islamist partners in 2022. The number of female children repatriated in this operation is not specified.
The anti-terror unit and local prosecutors will monitor the children repatriated in this operation. The number of children repatriated in this operation is also not specified.
This operation underscores France's continued efforts to address the complex issue of its citizens who joined extremist groups in Syria and are now seeking to return home. The repatriation process is a delicate balance between national security concerns and humanitarian considerations.
