The Syrian government demolishes hundreds of houses in two neighborhoods in Aleppo
Aleppo – North-Press Agency
Ali al-Agha
The Syrian government is destroying thousands of houses in al-Haidariya and al-Sukkari neighborhoods and expelling the residents from their homes under the force of arms, amid insults from police officers which raised the residents' anger and increased their resentment after returning to their houses, which had previously been heavily bombed during the military operation to control the area.
After the Syrian forces had finished combing and controlling al-Haidariya and al-Sukkari areas completely, more than 2000 families returned to their houses, which were almost destroyed due to aerial and ground bombardment by the Syrian and Russian forces. The families, who returned after the armed groups were expelled from the area, have repaired their damaged houses despite their poor financial conditions, until they returned inhabitable.
The rehabilitation process did not convince the government side, which has been determined since more than 4 months to remove and demolish the buildings, through the service and administrative bodies backed by military and security agencies.
Moreover, North-Press reported that police officers with the participation of the municipal and governorate officers went to the al-Sukkari and al-Haidariya areas repeatedly, accompanied by vehicles and trucks to drive the people out and destroy their houses under the name of “state property”. While local sources confirmed to North-Press that the police patrols took the residents out by force of arms, in addition to being beaten by one of the officers accompanying the patrols, while the authorities of the Syrian government did nothing towards the officer’s behavior with the families, which raised the resentment of the residents.
Other sources confirmed to North-Press that more than 500 houses have been destroyed so far, as the process of destruction is still going on coinciding with the relocation of people to other areas in Aleppo, such as Masaken-Hanano, where they are being housed in an uninhabitable places, owned by families outside Syria.
A citizen who refused to reveal his name confirmed to North-Press that he has lived in al-Haidariya area for more than 40 years, and that all taxes were paid by all families, in addition to owning a court decision regarding their houses. He added that before the Syrian crisis, the process of buying and selling houses was carried out between the people by a court order, and without the government's opposition to this issue, while he called the governor to find a solution for this matter and provide compensation for the houses.
On the other hand, a resident of al-Sukkari pointed out that the municipality warned them to evacuate the houses within 24 hours, followed by the destruction of his house in front of his eyes, without giving him a chance to take out his belongings.
The residents also confirmed that they visited the office of the governor of Aleppo, but he did not receive them under the pretext that he was outside the governorate accompanied by his office manager, while the citizens called on the government to provide slight compensation.
Furthermore, the residents wondered that if these lands were state property, how were they built, serviced, and all bills of water, electricity and telephone were paid under the name of the house owner who owns a court order?!
As resentment escalates in al-Sukkari and al-Haidariyah neighborhoods, a resident affirmed that he was beaten while refusing to leave his house by an officer accompanying the patrols, calling on the Syrian government to hold the officer and police officers accountable for beating him and insulting the residents of the area. Despite the complaints submitted by the residents regarding this decision which they described as unfair, and the presentation of their evidence that they own these lands according to a court order, the government have not stopped demolishing houses and evacuating their inhabitants.