IDPs of Serekaniye call for protection for those returning to their city

Displaced residents of Serekaniye currently living in the city of Tel Tamr expressed their dissatisfaction with the attacks targeting those who returned to their city as part of the first convoy.

In this context, displaced resident Ibrahim Allo said: “This is a moment that the displaced have been waiting for seven years, during which they endured harsh conditions and continuous suffering imposed upon them by displacement.”

Allo added that, for the people of Serekaniye, returning means reclaiming the home, land, and life from which they were deprived.

He stressed that the right of return must be guaranteed to all residents of the city, and that any disputes or claims should be addressed through the law and the competent authorities, away from threats, assaults, or preventing residents from reaching their homes.

He noted that Serekaniye has long been a multi-ethnic and multi-component city, where Kurds, Arabs, and others lived side by side and shared joys, sorrows, and difficult circumstances over the course of decades.

He called for no party to be allowed to turn the issue of return into a source of discord and division among the city’s residents.

Allo called on the relevant authorities to assume their responsibilities toward those returning, provide them with protection, guarantee their rights to their properties, and work to create conditions that allow for a stable and safe return, free from any practices that could reproduce the suffering of displacement.

Allo emphasized that, for its people, Serekaniye is not merely a city, but represents home, memory, identity, and life, and that their return must be a genuine return that preserves their dignity and rights.

For her part, displaced resident Najma Slo said that the displaced people’s primary demand is clear and simple: to ensure their safety and create the conditions that allow them to return to their homeland and homes.

She stressed that those returning did not go to other people’s homes, but returned to their own homes after many years of displacement, and that the attacks some of them suffered were unjust and unacceptable.

Najma Slo pointed out that the displaced paid a heavy price during the years of displacement and lost a significant portion of their property and sources of livelihood. This makes compensating those affected, alongside providing security and protection, an essential part of the return and stabilization process.

She stressed that the displaced are not seeking confrontation or conflict, but rather conditions that would allow them to return and live in safety. What they need is protection so that they can reclaim their lives and make a new beginning.

These statements come following the departure of the first convoy of displaced residents of Serekaniye, which included 410 families, in a move that brought the issue of return back to the forefront after nearly seven years of displacement.

While the return of the convoy represented a glimmer of hope for thousands of displaced people who have been waiting for years for an opportunity to return to their city, the tensions and attacks that accompanied the arrival of some returnees have raised concerns about the extent to which a safe environment and the necessary guarantees are available to sustain the return process.

ANHA