Jwan Eiso calls for accelerating return of Serêkaniyê IDPs

The convoys of displaced people were scheduled to depart successively following the return of two convoys of displaced people to the countryside of Serêkaniyê/Ras al-Ain, as part of the process of returning displaced people to their areas. However, the process has been delayed, with the reasons still unclear, amid calls to disclose the causes of the delay and clarify the fate of the convoys scheduled to return.

According to the Serêkaniyê Displaced Persons Committee, around 14,000 families are still waiting to return to their areas, while the displaced are facing difficult conditions inside the camps amid a lack of education and assistance.

On September 28, the Serêkaniyê/Ras al-Ain Displaced Persons Committee announced that the third convoy for the return of displaced people would depart next Sunday from the city of Hasakah. More than 500 families from shelters and schools are expected to participate, heading toward their areas in the southern countryside, extending from the town of Manajir to Tal Halaf, west of the city.

Those responsible bear responsibility for the delay

In this context, Jwan Eiso, a legal affairs activist and administrator with the Serêkaniyê/Ras al-Ain Displaced Persons Committee, held the government delegation, Hasakah Governorate, and the administration of the city of Serêkaniyê/Ras al-Ain, along with all those responsible for the issue, accountable for the delay in the process of returning the displaced. He stressed that the handling of the displaced persons issue still lacks the required seriousness.

Eiso said that “the reasons for the delay in returning the displaced must be clarified, as must the reasons for the delay in the convoys,” questioning the situation regarding landmines in the area and the reasons for not accelerating their removal in a way that would allow the return process to resume.

Calls to open roads, resume convoys, and secure the area

He added that the delay is taking place with the knowledge of the authorities controlling the city of Serêkaniyê. He noted that, during its latest meeting, the Serêkaniyê/Ras al-Ain Displaced Persons Committee called for fully opening the main roads leading to the villages and the city, and for working to resolve the displaced persons issue, given the difficult conditions they are facing inside the camps, particularly with regard to education and assistance.

Eiso stressed the need for the security and administrative authorities and the presidential delegation to assume their responsibilities, work to remove people who have come from outside the city of Serêkaniyê/Ras al-Ain, and end the factional presence inside the city. He also called for government institutions to fulfill their duties, vacate the homes of displaced people, and return their properties and agricultural lands to their rightful owners after they had been seized.

Eiso reiterated that those responsible for the displaced persons file in the city of Serêkaniyê should bear responsibility for the shortcomings, particularly the presidential delegation, Hasakah Governorate, and the administration of the city of Serêkaniyê/Ras al-Ain. He called for an official clarification of the reasons for the delay and for the convoys to resume successively, allowing the displaced people from the city to return urgently, alongside the return of those displaced from the villages.

Eiso raised a number of questions concerning the situation in the city, including the continued presence of those occupying the homes of displaced people, the continued factional presence, the seizure of homes, and the closure of roads. He stressed that these issues still require serious attention and resolution.

Participation of local residents in administration

Regarding the administrative situation and appointments in the city of Serêkaniyê, Eiso said that it would be preferable for members of councils and administrative bodies to be appointed after the displaced people return to their city, ensuring the participation of local residents in managing the affairs of their city and representing their community. He considered the inclusion of the indigenous population in these institutions to be a means of ensuring broader community representation.

Calls to resolve the IDPs issue

At the conclusion of his remarks, Eiso affirmed that the Serêkaniyê Displaced Persons Committee had, during its latest meeting with the relevant authorities, expressed its readiness to handle the issue of returning the displaced and to assume all responsibilities falling within its remit. He stressed the need to ensure the security of the area and affirmed that the return of displaced people is a human right

ANHA