Midyat District Governor Oğuzhan Bingöl told press on Friday that Midyat citizens have to treat Syrian refugees as guests, adding: “We could have been under bombardment like them. We have to develop empathy.” He added that the tent city is expected to be ready to host refugees in about one-and-a-half months.
There are currently over 400,000 Syrians who have fled the two-year-old conflict in their country, which according to the UN has killed more than 70,000 people.
According to the Prime Ministry's Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate's (AFAD) figures released in late February, the total number of refugee camps in Turkey is 14: This includes five tent cities in Hatay province, three in Gaziantep, two in Şanlıurfa and one each in Kahramanmaraş, Osmaniye, Adana and Adıyaman. There are also three container cities in Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa and the southern province of Kilis.
The total number of Syrians who have entered Turkey since the start of the uprising is over 260,000, according to the AFAD statement.