Serê Kaniyê: from displacement to integration; Will return process be completed?

The seventh anniversary of the start of the Turkish attack on the city of Serê Kaniyê/Ras al-Ain takes place on October 9, 2019. The Turkish attack resulted in the occupation of the city and its countryside by Turkish forces and other groups affiliated with Turkey, in addition to the occupation of the city of Girê Sipî /Tal Abyad.

This is because Serê Kaniyê witnessed a new stage with the displacement of the city's original residents and a change in the status of the city and its countryside. Hundreds of thousands of residents of the city have been outside their areas for seven years since their displacement.

Based on human rights documentation, more than 150,000 people were displaced from Serê Kaniyê, Girê Sipî, and its countryside. Fifty-two villages in Serê Kaniyê have been deprived of their original residents, while human rights reports have stated that 8,300 personal properties have been confiscated, in addition to about 100,000 hectares of agriculture. The issue of property has become one of the most important files associated with the return of residents to their areas.

Arrests, enforced disappearances, and torture

Within the past seven years, several instances of violations have been recorded in Serê Kaniyê and Girê Sipî such as killings, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and torture. According to the documentation by the Taa'zor Association for Victims, 890 cases of arrests were recorded, out of which 92 were women and 56 were children.

A total of 346 cases of enforced disappearances were recorded, where the status of the victims remained unknown, in addition to 766 cases of torture, causing seven deaths. Transfer of 121 detainees to Turkey was recorded in the detainee file, along with sentencing 62 persons who were found guilty of life imprisonment for a period of 13 years to life imprisonment.

However, according to human rights organizations, these numbers are not necessarily the violations that happened in the area but rather those incidents that could be documented and verified, owing to the difficulties of obtaining information from the inside of the area.

Damascus-SDF agreement opens the return file

The Serê Kaniyê /Ras al-Ain file entered a new phase in light of the agreements made by the Syrian transitional government with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). According to the agreement of March 10, 2025, it was decided that there would be integration of civil and military institutions in northeastern Syria into state institutions and the right of all Syrians was guaranteed. In addition, there was a clear article on the return of all displaced Syrians to their villages.

As per the ceasefire and integration agreement in January 2026 between the government of Syria and the SDF, there were arrangements about the integration of military and administrative issues as well as the integration of civil institutions in Hasakah into state institutions and redeployment of forces and security institutions. It was once again confirmed that there would be return of displaced persons to their regions.

Thus, the return of displaced persons from Serê Kaniyê has become directly related to the new agreement between Damascus and the Syrian Democratic Forces after many years of being a humanitarian matter without a practical mechanism for return.

Three Convoys Return More Than 1,600 Families

The organized return process began in August 2026, when the first convoy set out on August 10, carrying 410 families displaced from Serê Kaniyê and its countryside and heading toward their areas of origin.

On September 8, the second convoy set out, carrying around 700 families, or approximately 7,000 people. They headed to around 55 villages in the countryside of Serê Kaniyê /Ras al-Ain, in addition to the areas of Zerghan and Tal Tamr.

The third convoy departed on October 5, 2026, carrying 511 families, totaling 3,242 people, from residents of Washo Kani Camp and shelters in Hasakah. They headed toward villages and towns in the southern countryside of Serê Kaniyê /Ras al-Ain.

Thus, the number of families included in the three convoys reached more than 1,600. Available information indicates that the current return is primarily concentrated in rural areas, while the return of those displaced from the city center of Serê Kaniyê remains unresolved, pending the resolution of a number of security, property, and service-related issues.

The return has begun, but the file is not over

The three convoys represent the first broad, organized process for the return of those displaced from Serê Kaniyê since their displacement in 2019. At the same time, however, they reveal the scale of the task that remains. More than 14,000 families are still outside their areas in Washo Kani and Serê Kaniyê camps in Hasakah and the Newroz Camp in Derik, while the areas of return require the provision of services, the removal of mines and remnants of war, and the resolution of issues concerning homes, land, and property.

Seven years after the displacement, Serê Kaniyê appears to be entering a new phase: moving from displacement toward return. Yet the transition between the two stages remains dependent on addressing the consequences of the past years and ensuring that residents can return to their homes and lands safely, voluntarily, and sustainably.

With the departure of the third convoy, the return of those displaced from Serê Kaniyê is no longer merely a humanitarian demand; it has begun to develop into a gradual process on the ground. However, its completion will remain linked to the ability of the parties concerned to address the issues left behind by years of displacement, foremost among them property, missing persons and detainees, security, the restoration of services, and the return of residents to the city center.

A complex security and administrative reality

Serê Kaniyê and its countryside continue to face a complex administrative and security reality after years of being administered through a local council linked to the reality imposed by Turkey, alongside the presence of armed factions backed by Turkey.

This year, new arrangements began to reorganize the local administration, including the appointment of a director for the area and the formation of a temporary executive office for the city council.

Despite the withdrawal of the Turkish office that had administered the city (the Turkish coordination office), the Turkish military presence remains around Serê Kaniyê and its countryside, with Turkish forces continuing to be deployed at a number of positions. This keeps the security file among the most prominent factors affecting the future of the area.

This reality poses additional challenges to the return of displaced people. Return is not limited to opening roads and ensuring access to homes; it is also linked to the security and administrative situation, the fate of properties, the restoration of services, and ensuring that residents can return to their areas safely and sustainably

ANHA