Displaced man finds his Home turned into livestock barn

More than six years after being displaced, Abu Ibrahim returned to his village of Al-Jamiliya in the countryside of Serekaniye/Ras al-Ain for the first time last March. His visit came in light of the January 29 agreement, which stipulates the return of displaced people to their homes and villages.

Since that first visit, Abu Ibrahim has continued returning to the village in an effort to reclaim his property and prepare for the return of his family and children. However, each visit confronted him with a reality far different from what he had expected. Settlers still reside in his home, while the village remains under the control of Turkish-backed armed factions.

During his most recent visit last week, Abu Ibrahim documented with his mobile phone the extent of the damage inflicted on his house. According to him, settlers had converted it into a livestock barn after years of his forced displacement.

“I Will Not Return to the Village”

Abu Ibrahim said he has decided not to return again as long as the settlers and armed factions remain in the area. He expressed frustration over seeing his agricultural land being used by others and his home damaged and turned into a barn.

“I demanded my house and land during my visit,” he said. “But the settlers told me they had been renting them from the factions for more than a year. When I met the commander of the faction controlling my house and land, I found that he was a young man no older than 25, accompanied by several armed men, and he was from the city of Sarmada in the Idlib countryside.”

Abu Ibrahim stated that he requested the return of his farmland and the evacuation of his home. However, the only response he received was an offer to grant him 5 percent of the harvest as what they called ‘zakat of the land.’

The incident comes as armed factions continue to control Serekaniye and its countryside, amid ongoing complaints from displaced residents regarding violations and encroachments on their properties. Meanwhile, thousands of displaced people continue to await the implementation of a safe return to their areas in accordance with the January 29 agreement.

ANHA