ALEPPO, Syria (North Press) – An IDP in New Eastern Manbij camp in northern Syria, Ali Sha’ban, 62, fears the consequences of Turkish threats which may lead him to displace again after he was displaced more than ten times with his family.
For about five years, the man has left his city with his eight-member family to settle at the end in a camp in northern countryside of Aleppo.
“We do not want to displace again. What we have already faced is enough,” he said in his local accent.
On May 23, Erdogan announced taking steps to complete the so-called remained portions of the “safe zone” plan along Turkey’s southern border saying, “We will soon take new steps regarding the incomplete portions of the project we started on the 30 km deep safe zone we established along our southern border.”
The Turkish “safe zone” is an area of 30-35 km (19-22 miles) deep into Syrian territory that Turkey started establishing in 2019 to settle Syrian refugees in an area along its border with Syria, as well as to keep it free from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which it regards as terrorists.
On May 25, Turkey’s National Security Council said that Turkey’s “existing and future military operations along its southern borders were necessary for the country’s security.” In the meeting, Erdogan delivered a speech to the MPs of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and said, “Turkish military would continue to rid its neighbor of terrorists” refers to the SDF.
On June 1, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan renewed his threats of launching a military operation on northern Syria, and specified his targets in the two Syrian cities of Manbij and Tel Rifaat, which include many Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
Since 2017, most of the residents of the town of Maskanah and the city of Deir Hafir in the eastern and the southeastern countryside of Aleppo Governorate have been displaced. This displacement came after Syrian government forces took control over the area following battles with the Islamic state Organization (ISIS).
In March 2018, the New Eastern Manbij Camp was established in the village of Rasm al-Akhdar, 10km east of the city of Manbij.
IDPs in the camps of Manbij fear re-experiencing displacement, and living in areas held by Turkish-backed opposition factions, in case Turkey implements its threats.
Despite bad situation in the camp and the lack of basics, Sha’ban prefers to stay at the camp instead of living in areas held by Turkish forces and Turkish-backed opposition factions.
Due to the Turkish threats, the camps’ residents started to recall painful memories they lived when they were displaced in the past. They are afraid of the violations that the armed factions will commit if Turkey invades the area.
Sha’ban demanded United Nations and human right organizations to protect IDPs in the area.
New Eastern Manbij Camp houses 625 families that include 3.395 people from Maskanah and Deir Hafir areas and Old Eastern Manbij Camp houses about 387 families that include 1.795 people.
Squatter camps house 1.935 families that include 9.786 people from the aforementioned areas, according to the Civil Administration of Manbij and its Countryside which is affiliated with the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).
The AANES was first formed in 2014 in the Kurdish-majority regions of Afrin, Kobani and Jazira in northern Syria following the withdrawal of the government forces. Later, it was expanded to Manbij, Tabqa, Raqqa, Hasakah and Deir ez-Zor after the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) defeated ISIS militarily.
The 48-year-old Hussein al-Abaid, an IDP from Maskanah who lives in the New Eastern Manbij Camp, is worried about losing one of his family members or relatives, where he believes that the victims of the Turkish operation are the area’s residents and IDPs.
“If the Turkish threats come true, the IDPs’ fate will be unknown because there will be no safe place to settle in. In addition, due to armed factions’ violations, the IDPs will suffer a lot,” al-Abaid told North Press.
“After stability prevailed in the area, all the IDPs reject the Turkish intervention and infiltration into the area, where Turkey is seeking to create a state of chaos and insecurity,” he added.
The 28-year-old Diya’a al-Hussein, another resident in the camp from Deir Hafir, believes that the Turkish threats seek to create conflicts and a state of insecurity under the pretext of creating a safe zone and protecting Turkish national security.
Al-Hussein definitely rejected the Turkish threats saying, “We do not want to move anywhere and live under the control of terrorist factions which kill, steal, and displace IDPs and residents.”
He also demanded influential actors in Syria to take a firm stand leads to end the threats and protect IDPs from displacing and danger.