IDPs from Serekaniye  demand safe return, implementation of March 10 Agreement

Amid these difficult circumstances, many displaced people are repeatedly calling for a safe return to their homes and for the implementation of the March 10 Agreement signed between the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Transitional Government in Syria, which included provisions for the return and protection of the displaced.

In the Serekaniye Camp located in the Tala’i neighborhood of Hasaka, forcibly displaced man Abdulqader Muhammad Sharmoukh says: “Our situation in the camp is catastrophic beyond description. We drink water from pits that animals come to, and our children are suffering from diseases inside the camp.”

He explained that their suffering in the tents intensifies with each season—cold and harsh in winter, suffocatingly hot in summer.

He added:

“We live in extreme hardship during the winter. We thank the camp administration for providing us with fuel, but the heaters desperately need replacement.” He described the camp as “a nightmare we live with every day.”

Sharmoukh called for a safe return to their homes, recalling his longing with a line of poetry: “My homeland, even if it oppresses me, is dear to me.”

March 10 Agreement: A hope for a dignified return

Sharmoukh also spoke about the March 10 Agreement, saying: “We want a safe return to our homes with dignity and respect. We do not want war or bloodshed. We want the agreement implemented. We are Syrians and want to return to our cities.”

He concluded: “We want to return to our homes and our city, even if we have to build a tent over the rubble of our houses. That would be far easier than living in these tents amid this suffering.”

Under these tents, we see death every day

A total of 2,615 families—about 16,700 people—live in Serekaniye Camp in Hasakah, established in 2020 after Turkey and its mercenaries occupied Serekaniye and Tal Abyad/Girê Spî, displacing more than 150,000 people.

Ghanem al-Hamoud, displaced from rural Serekaniye, shares the same sentiment as other camp residents:

“Under these tents, we see death every day. The winter cold and summer heat are destroying us. We are tired of this situation and live in immense misery.”

He added: “We long to return to our villages and homes, even on foot, but there is no safety there. That is why we demand a safe return.”

He reiterated his call for implementing the March 10 Agreement, saying it is the only path for the displaced to return and end their suffering.

Article Five of the March 10 Agreement, signed by SDF Commander-in-Chief Mazloum Abdi and Transitional Government head Ahmad al-Shar’a, stipulates ensuring the return of all displaced Syrians to their hometowns and protecting them by the Syrian state.

In this context, displaced man Abdulaziz Suleiman said: “We were displaced twice from our city—once in 2012 and again in 2019. We now live in conditions no one can imagine because of how severe they are. The tents do not protect us from the rain, in addition to the many problems inside the camp.”

He concluded: “We had hoped the March 10 Agreement would be implemented. So we demand its execution and our return to our homes. We do not want this agreement to remain only ink on paper. We want a safe and dignified return.”

a.k

ANHA