IDPs from Serêkaniyê demand safe return

Six years after their forced displacement from Serêkaniyê due to the Turkish occupation and its mercenaries, thousands of forcibly displaced people continue to demand a safe return to their city a return that preserves their dignity and honors their sacrifices as they endure harsh humanitarian conditions in camps and shelters, with an almost total absence of international aid.

Humanitarian Suffering in the Camps

The forcibly displaced live in dire conditions within camps that lack the most basic necessities of life. To this day, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has not recognized the camps of Serêkaniyê’s displaced, leading to a lack of humanitarian aid and basic daily services.

According to the camp administration’s statistics, the aid provided by non-governmental organizations covers no more than 10% of the displaced people's needs.

Testimonies from the Displaced

In this context, displaced women Zakiyah Ahmad and Asya Sheikh Sinan confirmed that returning to Serêkaniyê first requires removing the causes of forced displacement namely, the liberation of the city from the Turkish occupation and its mercenaries in addition to ensuring safety, security, and protection, which, they said, “can only be achieved under a democratic self-administration.”

Zakiyah and Asya stressed that upon their return, they want to rebuild their city themselves, following the Democratic Nation model that includes all components, as it was before the occupation.

For his part, displaced resident Youssef Hajo said: “We endured life in the camps so that we could one day return to a clean life in Serêkaniyê.” He explained that residents have challenged the harsh camp conditions “to ensure a safe return worthy of the sacrifices of the people of Serêkaniyê.”

Similarly, displaced man Alaa Amin expressed his hope to return after six years of displacement, saying: “We did not migrate from our land to other countries  we want to return to our homes that were looted and stolen by the Turkish occupation, but only if safety, security, and protection are guaranteed.”

Crimes and Violations Under Occupation

According to statistics from the Committee of Serêkaniyê Displaced Persons, Turkish occupation mercenaries have seized 98% of the farmlands belonging to Kurds, as well as 6,300 houses and 1,900 shops. In addition, narcotic crops have been planted in agricultural lands belonging to five villages.

Furthermore, 65 villages have been emptied of their original inhabitants, five villages have been partially bulldozed, and the village of Ain al-Hisan was completely destroyed and turned by the Turkish occupation into military camps and training centers.

In a flagrant violation of human rights, the Turkish occupation and its mercenaries forcibly displaced residents of 15 Yazidi villages in and around Serêkaniyê, seizing 65 houses and all Yazidi properties, destroying 80 houses in the villages of al-Dawoudiyah and Khirbet Jamo, and building military barracks in their place. They also desecrated Yazidi graves and removed remains from them.

Displaced resident Alaa Amin emphasized that the presence of the Turkish occupation and its mercenaries is the main obstacle to the return of displaced people, given the ongoing killing, looting, and demographic change in the region.

Documented Demographic Change and Violations

The Serêkaniyê Displaced Persons Committee documented the resettlement of 75 families of Turkish occupation mercenaries and ISIS members in the homes of displaced residents, and the displacement of about 87% of the original population, leaving only 44 Kurdish individuals in the city. Moreover, around 3,200 families of occupation mercenaries and settlers have been settled in the city as part of a demographic change policy.

There have been 1,275 cases of arrest, disappearance, torture, and summary execution, in addition to 72 missing persons, 20 people killed along the border between Serêkaniyê and Turkey, and 15 cases of rape amid the ongoing lawlessness that prevails in the city.

Continuing Calls for Collective Return

Displaced woman Fadwa Mohammed stressed the need to achieve safety, security, and the liberation of the city before any return, saying: “Either we all return together, or we don’t return at all.”

At the same time, she called on all young people inside and outside the country to unite in order to liberate the city from the occupiers.

Forced Displacement in Numbers

The Turkish occupation of Serêkaniyê in October 2019 displaced around 200,000 civilians from the city and its countryside. Currently, about 14,714 individuals (distributed among 2,373 families) live in the Washo Kani Camp, which was established in 2019 in the countryside of al-Hasakah. A second camp in al-Hasakah houses 14,073 displaced persons distributed among 2,815 families, while the rest of the forcibly displaced are spread across various cities in al-Jazira Canton.

Since the beginning of the Syrian crisis, the people of Serêkaniyê have been displaced twice:

The first time was on November 8, 2012, when the Turkish occupation state opened the Serêkaniyê crossing to Jabhet al-Nusra mercenaries and dozens of factions from what was then called the Free Syrian Army, which later became the Turkey-backed “Syrian National Army.” The displacement continued until July 2013, when the People’s Protection Units (YPG) liberated the city, allowing residents to return.

The second displacement occurred on October 9, 2019, when the Turkish occupation itself launched attacks on the city. Since then, residents have remained in camps and shelters, waiting for a safe return to their city, free from the Turkish occupation and its mercenaries.

ANHA