Upcoming meetings discuss mechanism for Serêkaniyê people’s return

Thousands of people forcibly displaced from the city of Serêkaniyê and its countryside are awaiting practical steps paving the way for their return home, even as efforts continue to remove obstacles hindering the process.

Key measures required to ensure a safe and stable return to Serêkaniyê and its countryside include clearing landmines, opening main roads, removing settlers who moved into the city, and restoring property to the displaced residents.

Mine-clearing teams began operations on the roads and in the areas surrounding Serêkaniyê on June 18, as part of a plan to secure villages and main roads and create the necessary conditions for the residents' safe return.

Mine clearance and the clearing of the main road leading to Serêkaniyê are ongoing to restore service and ensure safety ahead of the displaced population's return. Meanwhile, relevant authorities are working to remove settlers who entered the city following its occupation and return them to their areas of origin.

Zahra Samou, a member of the Serêkaniyê Displaced Persons Committee, stated: "We recently communicated with the presidential team handling the file on the return of displaced persons from Serêkaniyê. They informed us that the mine-clearing process is nearing completion and that the main roads will be opened in the near future."

She added: "Once mine clearance is complete, the Displaced Persons Committee will hold meetings with the presidential delegation in charge of the file to discuss the mechanism for the displaced persons' safe return." Zahra Samou noted that they are also in contact with another committee tasked with handling the file—based within the city of Serêkaniyê—to discuss the mechanism for the return of displaced persons. This process is to run parallel to the removal of settlers and their return to their areas of origin, particularly those who arrived from the Giwêran neighborhood in Hasaka.

The authorities responsible for the return process provided a comprehensive statistical breakdown—estimating the number of forcibly displaced persons at approximately 80,000—to serve as a basis for establishing a clear mechanism to organize the return operation.

Sh-S

ANHA