NEWS CENTER - A convoy carrying 400 displaced families from Serêkaniyê has reached their homes, marking the first return of Serêkaniyê residents since 2019.

 

People displaced from Serêkaniyê in 2019 have begun returning to their city. The first convoy, carrying around 400 families, left the village of Tiwênê in Hasakah province this morning and reached Serêkaniyê after seven years. The convoy is made up of families from Serêkaniyê city and the surrounding countryside who have been living in Waşokanî Camp.

 

Serêkaniyê residents who have spent years living in camps and other settlements spoke to ANHA about their feelings ahead of their return home. Mohammad Hussein al-Ali, who was part of the convoy, said returning home was an indescribable source of happiness for them. He added: “I have a young daughter who couldn’t sleep because she was so excited. We are returning today. We will rebuild our homes and live as we did before.”

 

Fatima Amin Sherif expressed her longing to see her home and city again, saying that they had endured great hardships during years of displacement and that their children had grown up far from their homeland. She said: “If I could fly, I’d be flying with joy. Our home may have been destroyed over the years, but that will not stop us from returning to our homeland.”

 

80,000 PEOPLE TO RETURN

 

The return process to Serêkaniyê is being carried out under an agreement signed on January 29 between the Syrian interim government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Article 14 of the agreement includes provisions for the safe return of people displaced from Serêkaniyê, Afrin and Sheikh Maqsoud to their homes. The Serêkaniyê Migration Committee had previously drawn up a list of around 500 families for the first phase of the return process. Overall, around 14,000 families, nearly 80,000 people, are expected to return in stages.

 

With the first convoy reaching the city today, the first phase of the return process has officially begun.

 

WHAT HAPPENED?

 

Serêkaniyê came under a Turkish military operation and attacks by Turkish-backed armed groups on October 9, 2019, resulting in displacement. Thousands of residents fled to different parts of North and East Syria, while many have continued to live in camps for years. Displaced people living in Waşokanî Camp had previously spoken about the difficult living conditions and expressed their desire to return to their homes.