Displaced women from Afrin, Shahba demand safe return

Thousands of people from Afrin were displaced to the Shahba region after the city was occupied by Turkey and its mercenaries in 2018. They endured harsh conditions in camps, and due to ongoing attacks, many were displaced again toward other areas in North and East Syria, including Dêrik, which is now home to around 300 families.

Nisrin Shabo, one of the displaced women, said:"We’ve been demanding our right to safely return to our city Afrin for years, but we have received no response from the transitional government or the international community."

She added:“Losing Afrin has become a chronic pain embedded in our bodies. Afrin is part of our souls. How long will we remain displaced within our own homeland?”

Nisrin appealed to international organizations: “We urge international organizations to visit the areas where forcibly displaced people are living, to see our conditions—especially the shortage of medicine and baby formula. We've been forgotten and marginalized by both the transitional government and international bodies.”

Suriya Habash, another displaced woman, described her city as “the bride of Kurdistan,” and said: “Nothing can replace Afrin, its beautiful nature, and its olive trees. All I want is to return to my home and live the rest of my life with dignity.”

With a voice choked by grief, she continued: “What we lived through during displacement is unforgettable. We saw killing, kidnapping, and forced displacement in their ugliest forms. Our people have endured horrors worse than the world’s darkest nightmares.”

She concluded by emphasizing the urgent need for the transitional government to act to resolve the issue of displacement, calling for the immediate return of all residents to their original homes after the occupation ends and Turkish-backed mercenaries are expelled.

a.k

ANHA