Serê Kaniyê Camp residents: Seven years of suffering is enough

Thousands of displaced people residing in Serê Kaniyê Camp in the countryside of Hasakah continue to endure extremely difficult humanitarian and living conditions. Their hardships have intensified with rising temperatures, the continued deterioration of essential services—particularly water and electricity—and a reduction in humanitarian assistance.

Despite the harsh realities of life in tents, the displaced remain committed to their primary demand: a safe return to their hometowns and the reconstruction of homes destroyed by the war. They stress that years of displacement have exhausted them and deprived them of the most basic necessities of a dignified life.

Obeid Jumaa Al-Hussein, who was displaced from the occupied countryside of Serê Kaniyê, said they are living under extremely difficult humanitarian conditions in the camp.

"We are living in harsh conditions that begin with the extreme heat and extend to the lack of water and electricity, as well as the suspension of humanitarian aid we used to receive from relief organizations, which has further increased our daily suffering."

He added: "Our situation is heartbreaking. Every day we hope things will improve, but unfortunately our suffering only grows. We face water shortages, no electricity, and children and elderly people are suffering under the intense heat, making life in the camp even more difficult."

He emphasized that their main demand is to return home: "All we hope for is a helping hand so we can return to our homes and begin rebuilding and repairing them. Most of our houses have been completely destroyed, and we need compensation to help us reconstruct them and live there once again."

He continued: "Seven years of suffering is enough. It is time for us to return safely to our homes and our land and regain our normal lives."

The displaced residents of Serê Kaniyê have suffered since the city was occupied by the Turkish state and its allied factions, forcing tens of thousands of people from their homes.

Mahmoud Hasso, who is also from the occupied countryside of Serê Kaniyê and now lives in the camp, described the difficult living conditions: "Our situation is extremely difficult. We suffer from constant power outages while temperatures continue to rise, making life inside the tents unbearable."

He added: "We have spent our lives inside these tents. What have we done to deserve spending our lives in camps? We live in miserable conditions, exhausted by years of hardship, while our children grow up in this tragedy, deprived of the most basic necessities of life."

Hasso stressed: "We are strangers in our own country. We are tired of living in these camps. All we ask is to be allowed to return to our homes and villages, like the residents of other areas. We have the right to a safe and dignified return."

Similarly, Saleh Al-Abbas, another displaced resident from the Serê Kaniyê countryside, spoke about life in the camps: "The situation is catastrophic. We lack services of every kind. Anyone who wants to understand our suffering only needs to spend five minutes inside these camps to realize the scale of what we endure every day. These tents have taken years from our lives."

He concluded: "All we want is a safe return to our homes and support to rebuild and repair them so we can resume our lives with dignity."

According to the Serê Kaniyê Displaced Persons Committee, more than 80,000 displaced residents from the city of Serê Kaniyê and its countryside are awaiting the opportunity to return to their homes under the provisions of the January 29 agreement, which guarantees the safe return of displaced people to their places of origin.

ANHA