RAQQA, Syria (North Press) – The 48-year-old Ibrahim al-Sayyed’s fears of a new displacement grow more every day, especially with constant Turkish threats and shelling amid displacement from villages on contact lines north of Raqqa, northern Syria.
Al-Sayyed, from the village of al-Hokomiya 35 km north of Raqqa, had experienced the bitterness of displacement before. However, he grows more fearful now amid IDPs arriving in his village.
Turkish shelling of villages on contact lines near the M4 Highway close to the town of Ain Issa urged residents of these villages to flee to Raqqa, Tel al-Samen camp, and villages in the northern countryside of Raqqa.
The displacement will cause more tragedies, especially since the region is going through harsh weather conditions, al-Sayyed said.
He added that a humanitarian catastrophe will affect them and make matters worse amid the spread of epidemics and diseases, and the devaluating Syrian pound against foreign currencies.
Many, in case of displacement, will have to take refuge in makeshift camps in light of their inability to rent houses. The IDPs in makeshift camps already languish under dire humanitarian and living conditions, according to al-Sayyed.
IDPs in the makeshift camps, whose number is 58, suffer from lack of aid by humanitarian organizations working in Raqqa.
Officials in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) warned of a humanitarian catastrophe following the withdrawal of the organizations.
Al-Sayyed said, “Population is about 2.000, if the area witnesses a displacement wave, the number will rise to 3.000 or 4.000,” thus the rate of unemployment will increase and services will decrease.
He noted that people in his village are suffering due to a lack of bread and basics, warning that the condition will be catastrophic in case of displacement.
The 50-year-old Maryam al-Abed, a resident of al-Hokomiya, narrates the unbearable displacement conditions she is witnessing ” we got bored of displacement, where will we move again?”
She added, “There are children, old people and widows who need food.”
“We have water, as we reside near the Euphrates River, but we need food, clothes and adequate shelter,” she added in a reference to the economic difficulties they suffer as they are in their areas.
The 50-year-old Ammar Rajab, who hails from Tel al-Samen Janobi north of Raqqa, describes the situation as “extremely bad” and expects a human catastrophe if people are displaced from villages that are 10 km from contact lines.
Rajab said the extremely bad weather and the collapse Syrian pound against foreign currencies will cause a real catastrophe.
In mid-December 2022, the Syrian pound recorded a sharp decline against the US dollar, reaching 7.100 SYP.
He wonders where he will have to take his family in case they are forced to flee their village.
The 54-year-old Suleiman Muhammad, from Tel al-Samen Janobi, wonders how will he transport his household items as he lost his vehicle in a previous displacement during battles to push ISIS out of the region.
He said, ” If we [residents] are displaced again, where will we go?”
He noted, “The situation is very bad, we have nothing to take in case we move… We have no enough money to move, we must stay here.”