Displaced residents of Hama countryside await return to their Homes

Displaced residents from 15 villages and towns in the northern and northwestern countryside of Hama province continue to live in difficult humanitarian and economic conditions, as nearly two years have passed since they were displaced from their homes and forced to leave their agricultural lands. According to residents, they have received promises from relevant authorities that they would be allowed to return to their areas, but these promises have yet to materialize.

The affected villages and towns include Maan, Tulayseya, Marioud, Al-Mabtan, Al-Zaghba, Al-Fan Al-Qibli, Al-Fan Al-Wastani, Al-Shaati, Tuba, Abu Mansaf, Al-Khursan, Kafr Al-Toun, Arza, Sheikh Ali Kassoun, and other villages.

Most residents of these areas relied on thousands of dunams of land planted with pistachio, olive and grape trees, which served as their main and often only sources of livelihood before they lost access to them following their displacement.

As part of efforts to follow up on their situation, a delegation of residents from the villages and towns met with the governor of Hama, who promised to facilitate the return of some of them to their homes and properties. However, those promises have yet to be fulfilled, according to residents who preferred not to disclose their names, particularly as some homes were reportedly seized and burned by other groups, making it more difficult for their owners to return.

Citizen (M.Y.), from Marioud, said: “We received promises from the relevant authorities in the province to facilitate our return to our villages and towns, but so far, they have remained nothing more than promises on paper. We are suffering greatly because of the high rents for the houses we have been forced to rent. We have lost everything we had, including our livestock and the lands that were burned.”

Meanwhile, (A.A.), from Al-Shaati, said that “some Bedouins settled in several of these villages and told the displaced residents not to consider returning, claiming that their areas were no longer available to them.”

In a later development that has further compounded the displaced residents’ suffering, (F.A.) said that “lands in the aforementioned villages were offered for investment through the Iktifa Company, under an arrangement whereby the investor receives a share of the investment returns in exchange for a percentage allocated to the state, without obtaining the consent of the displaced landowners or even their presence.”

These complaints come amid growing controversy in recent months over agricultural lands in several villages in the Hama countryside, particularly Maan, Al-Zaghba, Marioud, Tulayseya, Al-Fan, Abu Mansaf and Al-Mabtan, after pistachio- and olive-growing lands were offered for investment and lease by Iktifa Company.

Landowners are demanding that investment procedures be halted until ownership rights are settled. Auctions held for pistachio-growing lands in the Maan area in July this year also prompted objections and calls for the return of the lands to their owners.

The landowners maintain that they left their areas following security incidents in the region and that attempts to dispose of some of the lands took place in their absence. They are therefore calling for ownership rights to be settled through legal procedures before any investment contracts are concluded.

According to what ANHA agency previously documented, the residents’ main demands are to ensure a safe return to their villages, reclaim their homes, lands and properties, and protect the agricultural lands that served as their source of income, in addition to halting any investment procedures carried out without the consent of the rights holders.

Meanwhile, the transitional government says it supports the return of displaced people and is working to provide the necessary services and living conditions to facilitate their return. In February, Housing and Public Works Minister Mustafa Abdul Razzaq said during a meeting in Hama attended by Governor Abdul Rahman Al-Suhayan that infrastructure projects were being followed up and work to address damaged buildings was being accelerated to help residents return from the camps. The governor of Hama also said the province was prepared to complete technical studies to rehabilitate damaged homes and accelerate procedures to facilitate residents’ return to their areas.

On August 24, Hama Governorate discussed service and development projects with a delegation from the Saudi Eswa Association to support returnees. Hassan Al-Hassan, a member of the governorate’s executive office, said the meeting addressed the challenges facing returning residents and their basic needs, as well as infrastructure projects, employment opportunities and improving sources of income. He stressed that supporting the return of displaced residents to their areas of origin was among the issues discussed.

The governorate also announced in August the launch of service projects in several areas of the northern Hama countryside, including projects to renovate schools and rehabilitate water networks. It said the projects were intended to improve services for returning residents and encourage people to return from the northern camps.

However, based on what ANHA agency has been able to document, these announced measures have not been accompanied by a recent government announcement setting a timetable or clear mechanism for the return of all residents of the 15 villages mentioned by residents, or directly resolving the status of lands that their owners say were offered for investment during their displacement.

As the issue remains unresolved, Hama province witnessed protests and calls throughout August and September to accelerate the return process and establish a clear mechanism allowing residents to return to their areas and homes.

On August 18, displaced residents gathered outside the governorate building to demand housing and improved living and service conditions. On September 12, calls were renewed for a clear mechanism to enable their return and bring years of displacement to an end.

ANHA