Military obstacles hinder return is Serêkaniyê people to their city

Despite the dispatch of five convoys to return forcibly displaced people from Serêkaniyê and its countryside to their areas since last August, residents’ return continues to face field and security challenges that vary between villages and the city center. While some families have managed to reach their original areas, others remain unable to enter their villages and homes, raising questions about the reasons behind the continued displacement and the means of bringing it to an end, particularly with the approaching winter and the worsening living conditions in camps and shelter centers.

Five Convoys to Return Displaced People to Their Areas

The first convoy carrying displaced people from Serêkaniyê set off on 10 August 2026, as part of efforts to return families to their original areas after years of displacement. It was followed by the second convoy on 8 September, the third on 5 October, and the fourth on 8 October.

On 13 October, the fifth convoy departed from the Serêkaniyê “Al-Tala’i” Camp in Hasakah. It included 385 families heading to the countryside of Serêkaniyê, Tel Tamer, and Zirgan, as part of ongoing efforts to return displaced people to their original villages and areas.

Despite the continued convoys, not all families have been able to reach their destinations. Returning families encountered field obstacles that prevented them from entering some villages due to the continued deployment of Turkish forces and the closure of roads leading to them. This has kept a number of residents away from their homes and properties, despite their participation in the return convoys in the hope of ending years of displacement.

Villages Still Occupied by Turkish Forces

Turkish military positions spread across several villages in the area constitute one of the most significant obstacles to the return of displaced people, as residents in some villages remain unable to enter their homes and lands due to the continued presence of Turkish forces there.

According to information obtained by ANHA agency, from Mahmoud Jamil, the official spokesperson for the Serêkaniyê Displaced Persons Committee, the villages where the Turkish army continues to be stationed include Al-Arisha, Dawoudiya Mala Salman, Al-Manakh, and Al-Aziziya, located in the countryside of Til Temir, as well as Bab al-Faraj. There is also a military position near the village of Al-Safah.

According to the same information, these positions prevent residents from returning to several of their villages. Their return remains impossible unless the Turkish forces withdraw from these locations and residents are able to reach their homes and properties safely.

The impact of this military presence is not limited to delaying residents’ return; it also extends to the continued deprivation of their properties, agricultural lands, and sources of livelihood, in addition to the difficulty of resuming their normal lives amid restrictions on access to their areas.

On 8 October this month, families returning with the fourth convoy faced difficulties reaching several villages via the Tel Tamer–Zirgan road after the road was closed in the areas of Al-Manakh, Al-Faysaliya, Al-Darbu, Al-Kanihir, Al-Saeed, and Al-Hajjaj, preventing some families from completing their return to their destinations.

Displaced Residents of the City Center Await the Recovery of Their Homes

While families continue to return to several villages, the return of displaced residents from Serêkaniyê city center continues to face different obstacles, most notably the continued presence of those who have taken over the homes of displaced residents, alongside security concerns linked to the Turkish military presence.

According to information provided to ANHA agency by Mahmoud Jamil, spokesperson for the Serêkaniyê Displaced Persons Committee, those who have taken over the displaced residents’ homes are still living in them, while the government is not exerting sufficient pressure to vacate these homes and enable their owners to return.

Mahmoud Jamil pointed out that the concentration of the largest Kurdish population in the city center makes the return of displaced Kurds a sensitive issue, and that there are considerations linked to the delay in their return.

So far, displaced residents of the city center have been unable to return, despite the dispatch of five convoys to date.

Despite these obstacles, Jamil expressed optimism about resolving the displacement issue and enabling residents to return to their city and villages safely and with dignity. He explained that the Serêkaniyê Displaced Persons Committee had asked the Presidential Team to inform Damascus, of the need to pressure the Turkish state to withdraw from the city and its villages as soon as possible.

He also noted that the continued Turkish military presence remains a security concern for displaced people and an obstacle to their return and stability in their original areas.

The information reveals differences in the obstacles facing displaced people. In the countryside, the continued deployment of Turkish forces in several villages prevents residents from returning, while the return of displaced residents from the city center is linked, in addition to security concerns, to the continued occupation of their homes and the failure to enable them to reclaim them.

Call to Accelerate Return Before Winter Arrives

As winter approaches, the need to accelerate efforts to address the obstacles preventing displaced people from returning is growing, given the difficult living conditions facing families in camps and shelter centers, along with the challenges of housing, heating, and providing basic necessities.

In this context, Mahmoud Jamil called on the United Nations, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the Presidential Team, and the Internal Security Forces to accelerate the return of residents to their original areas as much as possible. He stressed the importance of ending the suffering of displaced people and enabling them to return to their homes as soon as possible.

Addressing this issue requires removing the military obstacles preventing residents from entering their villages, securing roads and residential areas, and verifying that they are free of landmines and remnants of war. It also requires working to vacate the homes of displaced residents in the city center and ensuring that they can reclaim them.

The continuation of return convoys represents a step toward ending displacement, but it is not enough on its own to guarantee the return and stability of all families. Between displaced people who have managed to reach their villages, others who remain unable to enter them, and families awaiting the recovery of their homes in Serêkaniyê city center, removing military and security obstacles and addressing property-related issues remain among the key requirements for ending the suffering of displaced people and ensuring their voluntary, safe, and dignified return to their original areas.

The Deputy Commander of Internal Security in Hasakah Governorate, Mahmoud Khalil, had officially stated that next Wednesday, 642 displaced families residing in Washokani Camp would return to the countryside of Serêkaniyê, Tel Tamer, and Zirgan.

Sh-S

ANHA