IDPs from Syria’s Sere Kaniye long to return to homeland

By Samer Yassin

HASAKAH, Syria (North Press) – Radwan Nuhi sits with his wife every afternoon ahead of his tent in Washokani camp in the countryside of Hasakah Governorate, northeast Syria. He plays buzuq while recalling memories in his village that he left four years ago.

Nuhi, 53, along with his family, underwent displacement from the village Umm Shaafa, located between the city of of Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) and the town of Tel Tamr, northeast Syria, when Turkey and its armed opposition factions, aka the Syrian National Army (SNA), occupied Sere Kaniye in 2019.

At the time, he moved with his family to several villages, nourishing the hope of imminent return. However, their circumstances ultimately culminated in their settlement in a tent within the Washokani camp.

Sere Kaniye has been under the occupation of the Turkish forces and has been controlled by the SNA since 2019, following the so-called “Peace Spring” military operation that aimed to push away the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) under the pretext of protecting the Turkish national security.

This operation resulted in the displacement of the population of the city, as tens of thousands of them reside in camps in the countryside of Hasakah, amidst difficult living conditions.

Nuhi recalls in an interview with North Press his life in his village before displacement, saying, “Life in the village was gorgeous. Everyone used to work in his land. We all were relatives, neighbors, and friends.”

Eight years before displacement, Nuhi lived with his family in their partially furnished house. The man was gradually building his house according to his financial capacity.

He worked in agriculture and animal husbandry, and in the last year before his displacement, the harvest season was very good. Nuhi managed to complete the preparations for his house and even bought a car, but he did not stay in his house for long and left it in the same year due to the Turkish military operation.

Clinging to land

Despite the bombing and clashes that were taking place, the man tried his best not to leave the village until the factions reached it. “I was forced at that time to leave with my family and move to the nearby village of Heski.”

Nuhi then resided with his family in a house belonging to one of their relatives for about 15 days. During this period, he would go daily to a nearby location to observe his village from early morning until sunset.

Afterward, the family moved to another relative’s house in the village of Mesherfa in the town of Zirgan (Abu Rasin). “I stayed there for about a year, and when the owner of the house returned, I was forced to leave.”

“In the same village, there was an unfinished room,” he said, “My wife and I repaired and renovated it for over a month, and then we lived in it for about two years before the owner also returned and asked me to vacate.”

Following that, Nuhi found himself compelled to submit a request to come to the Weshokani camp and obtain a tent there.

“I did not distance myself from it”

“I only sought refuge in a distant place like the camp out of necessity. I preferred to stay close to the village. From time to time, I would go to that area to look at it and reminisce about all the beautiful memories it holds. Despite being almost destroyed now, with its trees cut down and houses vandalized, the place of my birth and the village where I lived my life will always remain beautiful in my eyes,” Nuhi said.

“It is a very difficult feeling to look at your village with your own eyes and not be able to go to it or reach it because of the presence of these enemies in it. We were forcibly displaced from our village, and we cannot return to it. Despite all that, day by day, we follow the news and inquire about the situation in the area, hoping to return to the village. Even with all the destruction and devastation it has suffered, we still envision returning and living there, even if it means living in a tent,” he added.

Aziza Issa, Nuhi’s wife, suffers from the pain of being away from the village. She told North Press, “Every time we look at it from a distance, we feel deep sorrow and pain, longing to return permanently.”

She said, “We watch our home without being able to reach it. This is painful.”

“Our hope of returning will not end. Every word or news about the area or our village, we are always attentive, patiently waiting for a solution to this issue so that we can return to our homeland,” she added.