IDPs : 6 years of suffering and one demand “Safe Return”

For more than five years, thousands of displaced persons from Tal Abyad Gire Spi have been living in harsh humanitarian conditions in the Tal Al-Saman camp, located in northern Raqqa countryside, after being forced out of their villages and homes due to war and occupation.

The camp is home to approximately 7,000 people, whose suffering is compounded by scorching summers, harsh winters that often flood the camp and uproot tents, limited services, and weak humanitarian aid. Their singular shared demand remains: “Safe return to their areas.”

Adwalah Khalil Hami, a displaced woman from the village of Al-Taybeh near Tal Abyad, said: “The conditions in camps, in general, have become widely known, as residents live in difficult circumstances lacking the most basic necessities.”

She pointed out that services in the camp depend on available resources and the number of supporting organizations, adding that Tal Al-Saman camp currently receives support from only one organization, which covers no more than 10% of needs. The camp urgently requires water, electricity, sanitation, and other basic services.

Adwalah continued, “We say today: enough of what we have endured this is the voice of all residents. We demand a safe return to our villages and homes and the speedy implementation of the March 10 agreement.”

She stressed that the biggest obstacle to return is the presence of Turkish occupation mercenaries, noting that safe return cannot be discussed amid a lack of security and stability, in addition to the absence of livelihoods.

“We will not return except with real guarantees for a safe return that preserves the rights of all components present in the region,” she asserted.

In closing, she called on the guarantor states, the international coalition, and human rights organizations to consider the plight of camp residents, affirming: “We are the rightful owners of the land and the rights, and we have suffered enough displacement in the camps.”

Similarly, Suzanne Muhammad Hami, also displaced from Al-Taybeh, described the camp conditions as extremely difficult, saying: “Our situation is just as it is.”

She demanded “a safe return to our areas, to return as we were before, without occupation, with security and the provision of basic services such as water and electricity.” She also pointed out that the main obstacle to return is the lack of security, adding: “There is no safety there; we cannot return.”

Meanwhile, displaced resident Muhammad Mustafa, originally from the town of Suluk, said he was displaced in 2019 and has suffered greatly from repeated displacement.

He explained that living in his own village and home is not comparable to living in tents, where the hardship is multiplied and living conditions are extremely difficult.

Mustafa noted that six years of displacement have involved moving from one camp to another and emphasized that those who have experienced the bitterness of displacement fully understand the meaning of losing one’s home and land.

He demanded “a safe return to our areas; enough displacement and living in camps.”

In conclusion, Mustafa said contact with his village was cut off from the moment of displacement six years ago, and he has no knowledge of what is happening there. He stressed that the demand of all residents is the safe and dignified return of all camp inhabitants to their homes and areas.

ANHA