Reverberations are being felt around the world after it emerged that US President Donald Trump was pausing American foreign aid. Among the countries in an uncertain position is Syria, where authorities face an uphill struggle to secure camps and prisons after conflict.

From a distance, al-Hol camp looks like a tent city.

In 2019, after the defeat of Islamic State (IS) militants, about 40,000 IS family members were housed in this camp in the Kurdish-controlled region of north-eastern Syria.

Most of the residents of the camp are women and children. It is so vast that it has its own bazaar and a clinic with a maternity unit.

Iraqi and Syrian Kurdish authorities fear it has become a breeding ground for IS. There are thought to be about 4,500 IS militants, including foreign fighters, held in prisons in this Kurdish-controlled region.

US President Donald Trump’s decision to cut aid could make it harder for the Kurdish authorities to provide food, pay guards and ensure the security of both the camps and the prisons.

Friday’s news that the US Department of State had issued a halt to nearly all existing foreign assistance, and paused new aid, prompted a few turbulent days at al-Hol, before operations resumed on Tuesday.

Jihan Hana is the camp manager, a Kurdish woman in her 40s. Speaking to the BBC on Tuesday, she explained that her team relied heavily on non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to provide for the camp’s residents – and that some NGOs received up to 70% of their funding from the US.

“Today until 2pm, we didn’t even have bread delivery scheduled,” she said. “An NGO that co-ordinates the return of Iraqis from the camp halted its operations because it couldn’t pay the guards. The NGO sent its civilian employees home and, as a result, the return of over 500 Iraqis has been delayed.”

The fear of reduced aid poses a significant security threat for al-Hol. The NGOs depend on foreign funding to pay guards and maintain order. Entry into the camp is only permitted under armed security escort because of the volatile conditions.

A State Department statement did not comment directly on events at the camp but said the review of foreign aid spending was necessary.

“National security is and will remain a top priority. The review period is a measure put in place for us to align our ongoing work with the America First agenda.”