ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A second convoy carrying around 700 displaced Kurdish families is set to return to their homes in Sari Kani, northeast Syria (Rojava), on Tuesday, as the governor of Hasaka said preparations for their return are underway.
“Preparations are underway for the return of around 700 displaced families from Sari Kani to their villages and homes,” Nour al-Din Ahmed told Rudaw’s Nalin Hassan on Monday, adding that “some of these families will return to the city center under the supervision of a special committee formed to monitor the situation.”
Supervised by a special committee formed to oversee the return of the displaced families, the resettlement of the families comes amid ongoing security concerns following an initial relocation of the first convoy last month.
The first convoy of 410 Kurdish families left the Washokani camp in Hasaka for Sari Kani in mid-August. The Syrian Interim Government provided each family with $10,000 to renovate homes that had been occupied by armed groups.
However, some of the displaced families arriving in their hometown came under attack by local saboteurs attempting to prevent them from reclaiming their properties.
“This committee includes representatives from the security forces, the district administration, the leadership team, the governorate, and local organizations,” Ahmed stated.
The Sari Kani internally displaced persons committee announced that 689 families in the Washokani camp are preparing to return to their lands. This decision was made after security guarantees were provided.
The Kurdish-majority city of Sari Kani, also known in Arabic as Ras al-Ain, and its surrounding areas fell under the control of the Turkish army and Syrian armed opposition groups following an October 2019 military offensive that displaced tens of thousands of Kurdish, Arab, and other residents into camps like the nearby Washokani.
The current return process stems from a landmark agreement reached between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian Interim Government on January 29, which followed weeks of intense fighting.
The deal established a permanent ceasefire and outlined the gradual integration of military, security, and civil administrative institutions in Rojava into the Syrian state.
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