Displaced Afrin residents demand safe return home

On the first anniversary of their displacement from Shahba, after being forced from Afrin in 2018 by the Turkish occupation and its mercenaries, displaced Afrin and Shahba residents living in Hasakah city in al-Jazira canton issued a statement today. The statement, read by Afrah Hussein Ali, an administrator in the Afrin and Shahba District Council, was delivered at the Health Institute in the Aziziyah neighborhood of Hasakah city. It read:

"On this anniversary, which weighs heavily on the conscience of our people, and given the magnitude of the humanitarian tragedy that befell our people in Afrin and then in Shahba, as a result of the military operations and repeated attacks perpetrated by the Turkish occupation and its affiliated factions, which led to widespread waves of forced displacement affecting tens of thousands of innocent civilians.

The occupation of Afrin in 2018 marked the beginning of a harsh period of suffering, forcing entire families..." They left their homes, lands, and heritage, heading towards the Shahba region, which became the only refuge for the displaced, despite limited resources and difficult conditions. However, the continuous bombardment and the policies of intimidation and terror practiced by the occupation and its mercenaries against the population, along with the barbaric attacks on civilians there, forced our people into a second, even more bitter, displacement, this time towards al-Jazira canton, in search of safety and protection from murder, kidnapping, and systematic violations.

This double displacement is not a temporary refugee crisis, but rather a deliberate crime of forced displacement, a clear, blatant, and flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and all international conventions that criminalize targeting civilians and forcing them to leave their homes. It also reflects an organized attempt to alter the demographic composition and obliterate the cultural and historical identity of the Kurdish people in those areas.

We appeal to international organizations and UN bodies to assume their responsibility towards the thousands of families who continue to suffer the effects of displacement and to amplify their voices in all international forums. We affirm that we are a people who have not and will not surrender, and that our will is stronger than all attempts to erase it. We were either broken or displaced, and the right to return to Afrin is a sacred right that no occupation can negate. The blood of the martyrs and the suffering of the displaced are a trust upon our shoulders, and we must continue the struggle to reclaim our lands. We will continue the struggle, following in the footsteps of our martyrs, until the day of our safe and dignified return.

As we salute today the steadfastness of our people who faced death, hunger, and siege with dignity and resolve, we affirm that this tragedy will not be forgotten. It will remain a testament to the crimes committed against our people, a responsibility that will not be extinguished by the passage of time. We also commend the role of local communities and the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, which embraced thousands of displaced people and offered them assistance in the most difficult circumstances. We condemn and denounce all the crimes and violations committed by the Turkish occupation and its mercenary factions against civilians in Afrin and Shahba. We call for an independent international investigation into the crimes of forced displacement, the perpetrators of massacres, and the attacks on the social and cultural fabric, and we affirm the right of all displaced persons to return to their homes.

ANHA