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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A second convoy of nearly 700 displaced Kurdish families began returning to Sari Kani in northeastern Syria (Rojava) on Tuesday, taking their belongings – and, for some, even the tents they had lived in for years – amid lingering security fears, separated families, and uncleared landmines.
“It's hard. My friends and relatives stayed behind,” Yasmin Mohammed told Rudaw’s Viviyan Fetah on Tuesday. “Many of our people are still left here. We wished our names came up together. We wished we could come together and go together. We are displaced.”
Mohamed was among those preparing to leave the Washokani camp in Hasaka province. Her home in the village of Tel Asnan, about 10 kilometers from Sari Kani, lies in ruins, but she is taking her tent with her as she heads back toward her hometown.
The return was part of a January 29 agreement between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Syria’s interim government. The deal established a ceasefire and set out the gradual integration of military, security, and civil institutions in northeast Syria into the state. The agreement also included measures to facilitate the return of displaced residents to their hometowns.
The first convoy of 410 Kurdish families left the Washokani camp in Hasaka for Sari Kani, also known as Ras al-Ain in Arabic, in mid-August. The Syrian Interim Government provided each family with $10,000 to renovate homes that had been occupied by armed groups.
Yasmin gave birth to some of her children while living in the camp. Now, she has loaded them into a vehicle and is preparing to return, despite not knowing what awaits them.
“There is fear,” she said. “We don’t know what lies ahead. We wonder whether we will be safe or not. God knows.”
“Families are now completely split in two. One part will stay here, while the other will go,” Yasmin said. “Our children are young, so we will take them with us.”
In addition, the journey home remains uncertain for many families, with unexploded ordnance and landmines still scattered across parts of the area, while some people who moved into abandoned properties after 2019 have yet to leave.
Siamand Khalil, deputy director of the Internal Security Forces in Hasaka province, told Rudaw that mine clearance in the area has reached about “25 percent.” but it also takes time.
"The issue of accommodation - their homes are destroyed; they have nowhere [to live]. Regarding this, but as for the landmines issue as we said, we can say we have passed 25% in terms of clearance."
He said the authorities have asked the Syrian state, government agencies, organizations and military forces for assistance to accelerate clearance efforts.
