Terrorism and Refugees: A Perpetual Cycle of Instability
By Sabrina Pecorelli
Terrorism and refugees - although seemingly independent crises without evident correlation or causation, actually share a rather reciprocal relationship that perpetuates a cycle of instability. The chaos and destruction that arise out of terrorist activity propagate the displacement of human beings, forcing them out of their homes and usually into overcrowded refugee camps. This displacement then cycles back to terrorism by creating the ideal environment for extremist organizations to recruit new members, as the inadequate conditions of the camps can fuel radicalization. These new recruits are then used to carry out more attacks and to strengthen the terrorist group’s hold in a certain region. This further destabilizes communities and displaces even more populations.
Furthermore, another overlooked connection between terrorism and refugees is the concept of foreign fighters, especially those who have not been repatriated. Foreign fighters are individuals who are motivated by ideology and travel outside their country of origin to join an armed conflict abroad. In the case of the Islamic State, thousands of foreigners joined the organization and after its collapse, they remained in the area unable to return home. These foreign fighters can be men, women, or even the children of these individuals and when they are not repatriated, they are forced to live in refugee camps. To learn more about ISIS foreign fighters, their nationalities, or country policies on repatriation check out this other Al Fusaic article.
Before we go any further, let’s differentiate between refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). As defined by the United Nations Refugee Agency, the main difference between refugees and IDPs is that refugees by definition have to cross an international border into another country while IDPs remain in their country of origin. IDPs can be displaced for a variety of reasons, just like refugees, but they either cannot or chose not to cross borders and remain under the laws of their government, even if that government may be the reason for their displacement.
Case Study: Syria
Syria’s ongoing 10-year civil war has created the largest refugee crisis in the world, displacing almost three-quarters of the country’s population. Out of 17 million Syrians in the country, about 6.8 million have fled as refugees and sought asylum abroad while roughly 6.7 million are displaced internally.
When the conflict broke out in 2011, it was in response to the pro-democracy uprisings that had swept along the Middle East (also known as the Arab Spring). These peaceful demonstrations quickly turned violent in Syria when the country’s president Bashar al-Assad ordered his military to open fire on protestors. In response, some members of the military defected and created an armed insurgency to topple Assad’s regime called the Free Syrian Army.
Over the following decade, the civil war spiraled and although it maintained its focus of bringing democracy to Syria and ending Assad’s authoritarian rule, it also grew to encompass foreign actors, extremist groups, and local rivalries. Today, the conflict has become a proxy stage for countries like the United States and Russia to assert their influence in the Middle East, or a safe haven for terrorist organizations like the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) to set up their headquarters among the instability. So even though the civil war does not count as terrorism, it indirectly created the necessary environment for terrorist organizations to establish a foothold in the country and carry out the violent attacks that displace the population.
In some instances, battles between regime forces and the Islamic State purposely targeted civilian populations to advance their respective political agendas of conquering more territory. Assad has been accused numerous times of using chemical weapons against his own people as a counter-insurgency tactic to regain areas controlled by the opposition. And the Islamic State has carried out countless attacks against civilians, targeting crowded marketplaces and rural villages contributing to the displacement issue.
The majority of individuals displaced by the ongoing violence ended up in refugee camps, either in the country or abroad. In Syria, the al-Hawl camp is located in the north by the border with Iraq and it hosts over 62,000 people, where about a third are children. The camp is currently split into nine different sections, eight of which host Iraqi and Syrian displaced persons, and the ninth hosts ISIS families, including the wives and children of ISIS fighters and even foreigners who have not been repatriated.
Recent reports indicate that after the fall of the Islamic caliphate in 2019, al-Hawl became home to some of “the most concentrated violence in northern Syria”. In 2021, authorities have recorded over 40 murders at the camp, including stabbings, beheadings, and shootings. There have also been concerns over the radicalization of children, especially since countries are refusing to repatriate foreign fighters and their families.
Outside of Syria, the countries that have accepted the most refugees are Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan - all of which have issues with overcrowded camps, diseases, and terrorist radicalization.
Overall, some of the ties between terrorism and the refugee crisis are evident, while some are more obscure. Nevertheless, they still manage to create a cycle that enables instability and violence. Terrorist activity forces the displacement of people, which leads them to live in refugee camps, which leaves them vulnerable to radicalization, where they get involved with terrorist activity and start the cycle again. On top of this and as a byproduct of terrorism, foreign terrorist fighters that have not been repatriated to their countries of origin also become stuck in refugee camps, worsening the instability and further overcrowding the camps.