HASAKAH, Syria (North Press) – Under a tent in Washokani IDP camp at the outskirts of the city of Hasakah, northeast Syria, Muhammad sits beside his father and children while narrates his memories when he was living in his village comparing that situation to his current one.
Muhammad Ahmad, a displaced person from Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) in northeast Syria, said, “We supplicate to God day and night to relieve us and return to our village to sit in the shadow of the wall of my house to feel in relief.”
Yesterday marked the third anniversary of Ahmad’s displacement from his village Umm al-Khair close to Sere Kaniye after the village fell under the control of the Turkish forces and their affiliated armed opposition factions, known as Syrian National Army (SNA).
In his village, Ahmad had a “small” grocery that used to earn his family a living.
On October 9, 2019, the Turkish forces and their affiliated SNA factions launched a military operation against the city of Tel Abyad in the north of Raqqa and Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) in the north of Hasakah.
The operation, named “Peace Spring”, led to the occupation of the two cities and their countryside in addition to the displacement of more than 300.000 of the original inhabitants.
Under tents covered with dust in northeast Syria, IDPs live in dire conditions after leaving behind their properties and belongings.
Ahmad ends a chat with his father in front of their tent adjacent to the highway, “Our condition changed dramatically, everything is difficult here. We are obliged to stay here. If I had another refuge, I would have left this tent,” he said.
While his children play close to him, Ahmad is obsessed with the idea to return to his village soon.
Syrian IDPs living in the camps of Sere Kaniye and Washokani in Hasakah Governorate, suffer from dire living conditions as humanitarian organizations give them a blind eye.
Services are almost non-existent and aid provided are limited and not sufficient, according to IDPs interviewed by North Press.
Ahmad added that their “condition is a very dire one; job opportunities are rare, even NGOs no longer render aid.”
Although facing heavy burdens, the IDP refuse to return home to live under the Turkish flag due to the violations committed against locals by the SNA factions.
Continued infighting among factions, looting and smuggling, among others, reduce perspectives of any return.
Although there are mass numbers of IDPs living in both camps, UN-run organizations do not render any support since these camps are “illegitimate.”
Co-chair of Health Bureau Office in Sere Kaniye camp Dilawer Muhammad Ali said, “There is a big disregard by organizations to know the IDPs’ affairs in these camps.”
“No humanitarian or legal organizations have entered these camps to be informed on the situation or render aid,” he added.
In Washokani camp, Muhammad Issa, 26, finds difficulties in adapting to life, “Life is a difficult one here contrary to the one in our village,” he said.
Issa recalls his life in the village of al-Soda in Sere Kaniye, “Social and living conditions were good; we used to work on our lands and others. Job opportunities in the camp are very rare ones.”
While his wife is cooking lunch on a little Babur under their tent, Issa indicated that they suffer from immense living conditions in the camps, “In winter, when it is stormy, tents go with wind.”
Amid this status of the affair, home return remains a hope that one day could become a reality.
Issa added, “If we had the chance we could have returned right now,” in an indication to the presence of armed factions.