Husn (Martyr Azmi el-Mufti) Refugee Camp

Husn Camp (officially known as Martyr Azmi el-Mufti Camp) stands alone on a hill of fertile land at the entrance of Husn town in Irbid Governorate. Located two kilometers south of Irbid city, this camp is considered the seventh largest refugee camp in Jordan and one of the poorest. It adopted its official name after Azmi el-Mufti, a second ranking Jordanian diplomat, was assassinated in Romania by Black September in 1984.

Establishment of the Camp

Husn refugee camp was one of the six refugee camps that were established by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) after the June 1967 war. Some of the Palestinians who were displaced from the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip had been displaced once before in the late 1940s, when Israel was established; in 1967 they were expelled to Jordan. Initially housed in tents in the Jordan Valley, they were later distributed among various camps, including Husn Camp. During 1968, its opening year of operation, tents housed 12,500 inhabitants. The total camp area was 758,199 square meters of which the government owned slightly less than 11,000 square meters. The remainder was either owned by individuals who sold their shares to get it designated as state land or public land rented by the state to UNRWA.

Most of the camp dwellers originated from Baysan, Nablus, Haifa, Tubas, Jenin, Beersheba, Tulkarm, Jaffa, and other villages occupied by Israel in 1948.

Infrastructure

Between 1969 and 1971, UNRWA began replacing tents with prefabricated shelters. According to the 2020 updated report of the Department of Palestinian Affairs, the camp has 2,314 housing units to accommodate 27,918 persons (6,348 families)  on 762,533 square meters.

Many families live in small, cramped shelters ranging of 96 square meters each, made of cinder blocks and metal sheets, which are not insulated and can be extremely hot in the summer and cold in the winter. The regulations issued by the Department of Palestinian Affairs limit structures to two floors (the ground floor and one above it) due to the weakness of the foundation.

The infrastructure of Azmi el-Mufti refugee camp has evolved and developed since its establishment, with improvements made over time to provide better living conditions for the residents. In 1998, as part of the Social Productivity Program by the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, the camp underwent major rehabilitation. This included efforts to made to improve water supply and sanitation systems, including the installation of pipelines and water storage tanks and rehabilitate the stairs in the alley ways.

The majority of the residents in the camp hold registration cards with UNRWA that enable them to access the services provided. They also hold Jordanian nationality that was given to all residents in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in 1954, which gives them access to all services in the country. Only a few hundred camp residents hold temporary travel documents given to ex-Gaza refugees who arrived in 1967 from Gaza with Egyptian travel documents. Their Egyptian travel documents were replaced with provisional Jordanian ones. Such documents do not connote citizenship. They give its holders access to some basic rights. 

Unlike Irbid refugee camp, which received a large number of migrant workers and Syrian refugees after the 2011 war in Syria, Azmi el-Mufti Camp did not receive many other nationalities, except for a few Egyptian labor migrants doing construction work and agriculture in that area. Over time, Palestinian refugees who were able to move out of the camp bought property nearby.

Socioeconomic Conditions

Those who have financial support opt to leave the camp. At present, camp residents are mostly older people or young people who lack the means to leave. Youth have limited spaces for gathering and the risk of violence, crime, and drugs looms in such marginalized community settings.

Education

Camp students have access to four UNRWA-run basic schools, two for boys and two for girls, which work on a split shift schedule, and two public secondary schools, overseen by the Ministry of Education. The agency also supports nine kindergartens, which are managed by a local women’s program committee and the community rehabilitation center. Day-care services for children are needed because women have been taking on hourly and seasonal work, mainly in farming.

Healthcare

Health clinics and medical facilities are essential components of the camp’s infrastructure. These facilities offer basic healthcare services, including primary healthcare, vaccinations, maternal and child health services, and limited emergency care. More than half of the population living in Husn camp do not have health insurance because they do not have a regular work that covers their health care within the private or public sectors.

UNRWA runs one health center staffed with three doctors, 17 nurses, and one dentist. Residents also have access to seven private health clinics that provide specialized services and two pharmacies.

Employment

Unemployment in the Palestinian camps is high, and so is the poverty rate. According to a 2013 living conditions survey published by Fafo, the camp had an unemployment rate of 18 percent, among the highest rates in the camps in Jordan. The limited job opportunities often pay low wages and are physically demanding, leaving many residents struggling to make ends meet. Because the camp is located near agricultural land, many camp dwellers, mostly women, seek employment in agriculture. Self-employment is common; the camp has more than 400 shops and 9 bakeries.

Husn residents, especially women, are also employed in the Qualifying Industrial Zones (QIZ). Located in Irbid, these export-oriented manufacturing zones offer duty-free access to the United States market for products made in Jordan, using inputs from Israel and the Palestinian occupied territories. These zones are a byproduct of the peace treaty signed by Jordan and Israel in 1994.

Camp Management

The management and control of Husn refugee camp have evolved over time, reflecting changes in the approach to refugee assistance and the involvement of different organizations.

When the camp was initially established, it was managed by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). UNRWA took on the responsibility of managing and providing essential services in the camp, such as healthcare, education, and relief aid. UNRWA staff worked directly within the camp to manage operations, ensure the provision of basic necessities, and address the immediate needs of the residents.

Since 1988, the Jordanian Government’s Department of Palestinian Affairs, under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has overseen monitoring Palestinian refugee camps within the country. Among other things, it is responsible for maintaining the physical infrastructure of the camps, as well as assisting and facilitating the operations of UNRWA and international organizations and NGOs in the camp. It also seeks to foster economic and social development within the camp system. The department retains an office in Husn, and the camp has a police station. UNRWA monitors the cleanliness within the camp system and maintains several services within the camp.

With the support of the Department of Palestinian Affairs, local camp committees formed to play a role in managing the camp. These committees often act as representatives and liaisons between the residents and the organizations providing assistance and the state. They helped to address community concerns, manage resources, and communicate with external entities. Recognizing the importance of community participation, efforts were made to involve residents in decision-making processes and camp management. This included empowering camp residents through training programs, building capacity, and encouraging active participation in the camp's affairs.

Civil and Political Organizations

Several community organizations are available in Husn camp; they are mostly led by refugees (with Jordanian citizenship) and cover a wide range of services with limited funding.

Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) are grassroots organizations formed within the camp by community members themselves. They aim to address specific needs and challenges faced by the residents, which have not been sufficiently addressed by UNRWA and government institutions.

The camp has 20 CBOs that work in informal education, religious education, charity work, and women and youth centers. These CBOs are funded by philanthropists, Jordanian government ministries (such as the Ministry of Youth and Ministry of Social Development), and the private sector. In recent years, the funding of many international NGOs in Palestinian refugee camps shifted to support the Syrian refugees after 2011. As a result, some camp CBOs either shut down or had to find local funding.

Women's organizations within the camp specifically focus on women's empowerment, gender equality, and challenges faced by women and girls. These organizations may provide support services, education, skills training, and opportunities for women's leadership and participation in decision-making processes.

Youth organizations work to engage and empower young people within the camp. They often provide educational and recreational activities, vocational training, skill-building programs, and opportunities for youth to voice their concerns and participate in community development. A sports club, Carmel, serves the youth in the camp.

Refugee camps sometimes serve as centers for political organizing and activism that is led by the member of parliament who represents the region/district of the camp. Since the event known as Black September in 1970, Palestinian political movements have been banned by the Jordanian government. Islamic movements such as Islamic Brotherhood or Salafi groups have branches or representatives in the camp, engaging in political advocacy, community organizing, and raising awareness about national rights and obligations.