Where dose return of IDPs stand under January 29 Agreement?

Following the announcement by General Commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Mazloum Abdi on August 20 that the process of integrating the military, security, and administrative institutions affiliated with the Autonomous Administration into Syrian state institutions had been completed, and his confirmation that a “new phase” had begun, the issue of displaced people’s return has once again come to the forefront as one of the files related to the implementation of the January 29 Agreement.

Seven months after the agreement was reached, progress has been made regarding returns to Afrin, where thousands of families have returned. The first steps toward returning to Serê Kaniyê have also been taken, while displaced families from Shahba, Raqqa, and Tel Abyad are still waiting for the arrangements necessary to enable them to return to their home areas.

The January 29 Agreement, signed between SDF General Commander Mazloum Abdi and Syrian transitional government President Ahmed al-Sharaa, included a provision concerning the return of displaced people who had been forced from their areas and homes, ensuring a safe and voluntary return to their places of origin.

Following the announcement of the completion of the military, security, and administrative integration phase, the question remains: What has been achieved regarding the return of displaced people over the past seven months, what obstacles are preventing their return, and what is obstructing the process?

The return of IDPs: A key provision of the agreement

The return of people displaced from their areas by war and conflict is one of the most prominent humanitarian issues associated with Syria’s transitional phase. The United Nations has stressed that ensuring the safe return of displaced people is one of the essential conditions for the success of the transitional process in the country.

The displaced persons provision of the January 29 Agreement is intended to enable displaced people from Afrin, Aleppo’s Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods, Serê Kaniyê, Tel Abyad, Shahba, and Raqqa to return to their cities and villages.

The following is an overview of what has been achieved on this issue over the past seven months, according to monitoring by Hawar News Agency:

Thousands of families return to Afrin

The safe return of displaced people from Afrin began on March 4 and was completed in June. According to data from the Autonomous Administration, approximately 11,000 families returned to Afrin in nine convoys organized from al-Jazira region.

For his part, Imad Naama, Director of Social Affairs in the Afrin City Administration affiliated with the Syrian transitional government, said that registration operations conducted in Afrin and its surrounding areas showed that a total of 17,000 families had returned from the Aleppo and Jazira regions.

Thus, the return of displaced people to Afrin is the most advanced of the return files compared with the other areas covered by the agreement.

Shahba: around 1,350 families awaiting return

Meanwhile, around 1,350 families displaced from the Shahba region, located between Afrin and Aleppo, to al-Jazira region since 2024 are still waiting to return to the areas where they had been living. Most of the families displaced from Shahba are currently concentrated in the city of Qamishlo.

No comprehensive mechanism has yet been established to address the security and administrative problems hindering the return of these families to Shahba.

Raqqa: more than 2,000 families awaiting return

On January 16, more than 2,000 families were forced to flee from areas of Raqqa to Kobani and al-Jazira region following attacks and a siege carried out by armed groups linked to the Syrian transitional government. The majority of these families are still awaiting a safe return to their homes in Raqqa.

On June 7, Hasakah Governor Nour al-Din Ahmed and Raqqa Governor Abdulrahman Salama held a meeting to discuss the return of displaced families. Following the meeting, a committee was formed to facilitate the return process. However, no tangible steps have been taken so far, apart from the formation of the committee.

Tel Abyad: The return file remains unclear

No comprehensive study concerning the return of displaced people from Tel Abyad has been announced so far. Efforts have been limited to addressing the Tel Abyad file within the framework of a safe return to Raqqa, where hundreds of displaced families from the area are currently staying in Kobani, awaiting their return home.

Serê Kaniyê: first convoy arrived, but return suspended

As for Serê Kaniyê, following the completion of the Afrin return process, preparations began for the return of displaced people to the city. The Serê Kaniyê Displaced Persons Committee quickly began registering families wishing to return and submitted the lists it prepared to the Syrian transitional government and the Hasakah Governorate.

According to data from the Serê Kaniyê Displaced Persons Committee, 14,000 families from Serê Kaniyê, comprising approximately 80,000 people, submitted applications to return.

On August 10, the first convoy, consisting of 410 families, set out toward Serê Kaniyê and its countryside. However, some of the families who reached the city center were attacked by armed groups.

The Displaced Persons Committee announced that seven families had been attacked before declaring the suspension of the return process, noting that the required security conditions and safeguards were not in place.

The return plan for the 410 families in the first convoy focused primarily on villages in the countryside of Serê Kaniyê. Zahraa Salmo, head of the Serê Kaniyê Displaced Persons Committee, said that around 200 families had settled in the village of Ahras, while 30 families had settled in Tal Halaf.

The remaining families were distributed among Tal Jamos, Al-Asadiyah, Al-Aziziyah, and the villages located east of the Allouk Water Station.

According to the committee, the families who settled in the villages did not encounter any problems and completed the process of resettlement, while families who returned to the city were subjected to attacks.

Meanwhile, a limited number of families who had headed to the city center returned to Hasakah after being attacked by armed groups.

Measures required to resume the return process

Regarding the requirements for resuming the return process, Zahraa Salmo, head of the Serê Kaniyê Displaced Persons Committee, said that security problems in the city center must be resolved and that the Syrian transitional government must assume responsibility in this regard.

She added that launching the second convoy requires security to be provided and safe conditions and safeguards to be guaranteed for returning families. She also pointed out that the mines along the Tal Tamr–Serê Kaniyê and Darbasiyah–Serê Kaniyê roads, both of which provide access to the city, have not yet been cleared.

She also identified the removal of those who have taken over civilians’ homes as one of the obstacles to launching the second convoy, in addition to other unresolved issues, including protecting property rights, guaranteeing the safety of residents in the city, and ensuring that returning families can reach their homes and lands.

Zahraa Salmo confirmed that if the transitional government takes agreed-upon steps regarding these issues, the return process could resume within a short period.

Preparations continue

Despite this, the Serê Kaniyê Displaced Persons Committee continues its preparations to return the second group of displaced people to the area following the arrival of the first convoy.

However, the return of the second convoy and subsequently the completion of the return of the remaining displaced people requires concrete steps on a number of issues, foremost among them ensuring the necessary security conditions and safeguards, clearing mines, guaranteeing property rights, and organizing the city’s demographic and administrative situation.

In parallel, the committee continues its intensive efforts, in coordination with the relevant authorities in the governorate, to create the conditions necessary for the return of all displaced people from Serê Kaniyê to their areas.

ANHA