RIHA - Stating that 300 thousand people from Afrin, Serekaniye and Gire Spi are counting the days for their return, Afrin Human Rights Organization Co-spokesperson Ibrahim Shekho said, "We know that a committee will be formed for this. We will follow the process soon."

 

The agreement reached on 10 March between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the interim administration in Damascus was considered as a new era in Syria. The article in the agreement, "Guaranteeing the return of all displaced Syrians to their towns and villages while ensuring their protection by the Syrian state", was a great hope for the people of Afrin, Gire Spi and Serekaniye, whose lands were occupied. 

 

Afrin, which Turkey and paramilitary structures took control of in 2018, has been on the agenda with many crimes against humanity such as massacres, pillage, kidnapping and rape since then. The people of Afrin, Gire Spi and Serekaniye, who had to leave their living spaces, are now looking forward to the day they will return. 

 

Afrin Human Rights Organization Co-spokesperson Ibrahim Shekho stated that all peoples in the Autonomous Administration welcomed the agreement with great enthusiasm. Emphasising that especially the peoples who were displaces from their lands welcomed the agreement, Shekho said that the peoples are waiting for the step to be taken by the administration for their return. 

 

COMMITTEE TO BE FORMED

 

Ibrahim Shekho said, "We do not know exactly what the preparations are. We know that a committee will be formed for this. According to the rumours we received, Turkey and its occupying forces in Afrin and the armed groups affiliated to the current Damascus regime held a meeting. Two issues were clarified in this meeting. One is that the paramilitary groups affiliated to Turkey will affiliated to the Syrian Army. The other is the withdrawal of armed groups from civilian areas, including villages and the city center. These groups are still active in new contract, the responsibilities for this have been imposed on the new regime."

 

Stating that 300 thousand people from Afrin, Serekaniye and Gire Spi are counting days to return, Ibrahim Shekho added: "After the occupation of Til Rifat-Shahba, around 85-90 thousand Afrin citizens had to migrate from here. There are Afrin citizens in many places, especially in Halab. We think that over 300 thousand people will return. for months, we have been waiting for the approval of the legal regulations regarding the returns. On the one hand, we waited for the Autonomus Administration and on the other hand, of course, for the steps of the current administration. We are now waiting for assurances both nationally and internationally. In this sense, we see that a step has been taken. However, we will soon follow up this process in terms of human rights and in the legal sense. It should be well known that Afrin was not only migrated from Afrin, but also plundered. We know that those who were settled there afterwards also plundered the houses of Kurds when they left. Today, we can say that only walls remain in the houses of the Kurds from Afrin to which they will return. The right of every human being is to live in their own land. The people of Afrin are tied to the Kurdish Mountains like the roots of olive trees. We hope that Newroz in 2025 will be the herald of freedom with the call of Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan."

 

MA / Ceylan Şahinli