IDPs from Serkaniya call for safe return

Around 100,000 residents of Serkaniya in Hasakah province were displaced from the city following Turkish attacks on Oct. 9, 2019.

Nearly seven years after their displacement and the harsh conditions they have endured in camps, the issue of their return resurfaced following the fall of the Baathist government in December 2024.

The return of displaced people to their places of origin was one of the provisions of the agreement between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Syria’s transitional government on Jan. 29, 2026.

Although the first convoy of displaced people did return to Serkaniya on Aug. 10, some members of the convoy were assaulted by individuals who had seized their homes in the city.

The assaults prompted the relevant authorities to delay further returns and await guarantees that would ensure the safety of returnees and protect their dignity. The transitional government, meanwhile, does not exercise effective control over the city, which is controlled by multiple armed factions with varying allegiances.

The return also faces several obstacles, including the presence of Turkish military positions in the city and its countryside, mines along roads leading to some villages, and assaults against some returnees by people who had taken over their homes.

Resident Amida Hussein Mao said: “We have seen the pain and suffering endured by the people of Serkaniya over the past seven years. Even if you are among your relatives in another city or area, you will never feel that you are in your own home and on your own land. When we talk about this crisis, we feel deep pain. They have waited so long to return to their homes.”

“No One Can Return While Facing the Threat of Killing or Torture”

She added: “The most important conditions for return are safety and stability. No one can return while facing the threat of killing or torture. After seven years of displacement and suffering, the people of Serkaniya cannot return to a dangerous and unstable environment. We hope they can return to their city as soon as possible and that government authorities will guarantee their return and take responsibility for protecting them.”

Writer Abdul Wahab Birani said the approaching winter would add to the suffering of displaced people, noting that “the displaced people of Serkaniya have endured seven harsh winters away from their land, while summer has also not been kind to them, given the torn tents and difficult conditions in which they live.”

He said displaced people had the right to return to their city, stressing the importance of restoring infrastructure and creating the necessary conditions for a safe and dignified return.

Calls to Speed Up the Return of Displaced People

Birani said he had witnessed some assaults against returnees by people who had taken over their homes. He said residents of the city and members of the Arab tribes who are indigenous to the area had stood up to such abuses.

He added that some people occupying homes were attempting to remain there by threatening and assaulting returnees, while infrastructure posed another challenge.

Birani called on Syria’s transitional government, the committee responsible for displaced people and the governor of Hasakah to accelerate the return process and support those displaced.

“We hope to close this file, end the suffering in the camps, provide employment opportunities, and allow residents to return to their homes and jobs and children to return to their schools,” he said.

Destroyed Homes

Displaced resident Abdullah al-Ahmad said: “We were displaced from the countryside of al-Arisha, and our homes have been destroyed. We want to reach our homes before winter so that we can rebuild and prepare them before the cold intensifies and winter reaches its peak.”

“We want to return with dignity. We left our homes to protect them, not to face assaults when we return,” he added.

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ANHA