KOBANI, Syria (North Press) – Hussein Hamo, 32, is packing up the goods of his shop to transport it to the city of Raqqa, northern Syria, after his work receded in the city of Kobani, northern Syria.
Hamo, who has been working in furniture industry for 16 years, wants to leave his city after work has completely stagnated for the last year.
Kobani witnesses internal and external migration as a result of bad living conditions and repeated Turkish bombardment and threats to invade the area, according to residents.
Turkey targets the city and its countryside repeatedly, causing panic in the region, according to residents.
On June 1, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced plans to carry out another major military cross-border incursion into northern Syria. Erdogan specified his targets in the two northern Syrian cities of Manbij and Tel Rifaat, and later said that the offensive could take place at any moment.
Recently, due to sluggish economy, the number of professionals in Kobani have decreased, as some of them headed towards Raqqa.
Hamo said that his business has abated for the last year, as “Every two weeks I would not get more than one customer, and that is not enough to cover the needs of my family and shop.”
The man used to work with his brothers, but the war scattered them, forcing him to open his own shop about five years ago.
Opening his own shop cost him more than $10.000, according to Hamo.
The economic situation in Kobani started to deteriorate after Turkey and Turkish-backed armed Syrian opposition factions, also known as Syrian National Army (SNA), took control of Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) and Tel Abyad in October 2019.
However, the situation has gotten even worse for the last year, as most people with professions find it difficult to pay the wages of their workers, so they are forced to lay them off.
Fathi Sheikho, co-chair of Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Euphrates region, blames the Directorate of Industry for this situation, saying the directorate do not provide professionals with needed support.
If professionals did not get the necessary support, Sheikho warned, the city will face a “catastrophe.”
The Directorate of Industry, for its part, blamed the Chamber, and refused to comment on the matter.
People in Hussein Hamo’s profession can go and look for a better place to work, but that is not the case for every other profession.
Adnan Rami, a resident of Kobani, cannot leave his city and go to Raqqa, as the man works in repairing electronic regulators, a rare profession and little needed by the residents of Raqqa.
He said, “My shop is almost deserted. For the last two months, I have not received a single piece to repair it. Previously, my minimum monthly income was $300.”
Rami is thinking of leaving his profession and looking for another to support his family in light of the stagnant work environment for professionals in Kobani.