Six Years in Camps: Forgotten families of Serekaniye and Gire Spi

The stories and images of these occupied towns are now passed down to them by parents and relatives, while the occupation authorities continue to impose a new demographic reality, amid a troubling international silence.

On October 9, 2019, the Turkish occupying state launched a large-scale offensive against northern and eastern Syria, ending with the occupation of Serekaniye and Gire Spi. The assault forced more than 300,000 civilians—including nearly 100,000 residents of Gire Spi—to flee under heavy bombardment, threats, and massacres.

Since then, the displaced have been living in camps within the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, while their cities have turned into zones of lawlessness and systematic violations.

Turkey’s goal was not limited to military control; from the outset, it sought a sweeping demographic change. Families of Ankara-backed militants were resettled in the homes of displaced locals, who were forcibly prevented from returning.

The occupying authorities also imposed Turkish-administered education and civil systems in these areas.

Ibrahim al-Yasin, a displaced man in his fifties from the village of Ali Bajliya near Gire Spi, said: “I live in a camp, while someone from Deir ez-Zor now occupies my house from which I was expelled. Where is the justice?”

He called for the implementation of the March 10 agreement to ensure safe return and end the suffering of displacement.

Over the past two years, our agency documented the entry of more than 30,000 people into Gire Spi and its countryside, following Turkey’s announcement of a plan to repatriate Syrian refugees from its territory to areas under its occupation in Syria.

Many were settled in homes of the displaced or in new housing projects built with support from Gulf associations and states.

Since 2019, numerous human rights reports have documented daily abuses against those remaining in the occupied cities—kidnapping, extortion, property seizures, home demolitions, and crop looting.

Extrajudicial killings and arbitrary arrests have also become part of daily life, while the international community remains silent.

Noura al-Shareed, displaced from the village of Shirkraq, said: “We fled our homes under shelling to protect our children, believing we’d return within days. But now we are entering the sixth year of displacement.”

She explained that her house was completely bulldozed to establish a Turkish military base near the M4 international highway, adding that she would rather live in a tent beside her ruined home than remain in exile. Thousands of displaced people have been living for six years under harsh conditions in Gire Spi Camp and other camps in the Raqqa countryside.

Khawla Ibrahim, one of the displaced women, said: “Our children have grown up in tents. Schools are limited, and jobs are almost nonexistent.”

Women and children have borne the heaviest burden. Many women lost their husbands or sources of income and now live in constant fear of the future, while children have grown up in an environment lacking psychological stability and access to education—raising fears of a generation facing identity and belonging crises.

Ahmad al-Mustafa, an eight-year-old boy from the village of Shirkraq, said: “I don’t remember my village. I’ve lived in the camp, but my father tells me about it. I wish to return, live there, and study in my village school.”

Despite the well-documented violations and crimes committed by the Turkish occupation, the international response remains weak and ineffective. No real pressure has been applied on Ankara to end its occupation or to ensure the protection of civilians. This inaction has allowed the occupation and demographic change to become entrenched realities on the ground.

As the sixth year of occupation begins, the plight of the displaced remains one of the most pressing humanitarian and political issues in North and East Syria.

No just or lasting solution can be achieved without ensuring the safe and voluntary return of all displaced persons, the restoration of their rights, and an end to Turkey’s occupation policies.

a.k

ANHA