Sere Kaniye IDPs demonstrate in Syria’s Hasakah
HASAKAH, Syria (North Press) – Thousands of IDPs from the city of Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) and its countryside demonstrated on Wednesday in the camps of Sere Kaniye and Washokani near the city of Hasakah, northeastern Syria, calling for a safe return to their city, towns, and villages from which they were displaced after Turkey and its affiliated armed factions took control of their region.
Tens of thousands of displaced people from the city of Sere Kaniye and its countryside have been residing in IDP camps, established by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) in the vicinity of Hasakah city, since late 2019.
In October 2019, Turkish forces, along with their opposition factions of the Syrian National Army (SNA), occupied the cities of Sere Kaniye and Tel Abyad and their surrounding areas after a military operation dubbed ‘Peace Spring’. The invasion caused the displacement of approximately 300,000 of the region’s original inhabitants.
Protesters demanded the international community expel Turkish forces and their affiliated SNA factions from Sere Kaniye and return its original inhabitants.
The demonstrators raised images of the city, as well as placards condemning the continued Turkish occupation of Sere Kaniye and advocating for a safe return to their homes.
Some protesters told North Press through recorded interviews that their primary demand is to return to their city and villages, highlighting their rejection of the Turkish occupation in all its forms.