Afrin family pleads for return following ceasefire
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A Syrian Kurdish family is urging authorities to allow them to return home following a ceasefire last week that ended clashes between the Syrian army and Kurdish forces.
In the city of Derik (al-Malikiyah) in northeastern Syria’s Hasaka province, families who fled fighting over the past decade are sheltering in abandoned schools and mosques as they struggle to meet basic needs. Many were displaced multiple times during Syria’s 14-year civil war.
Mohammed Arif, who was forced to flee Afrin with his family, said he was seeking safe passage to the northern city which was seized from Kurdish fighters in 2018 and is now controlled by Damascus.
“We want to return (to our homes) based on the provisions of the agreement,” Arif said, in reference to a ceasefire between Damascus and Kurdish officials that stipulates the return of displaced Syrians.
The ceasefire ended weeks of fighting between the Syrian army and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that worsened an already dire humanitarian situation, displacing tens of thousands with electricity and road cuts that limited humanitarian aid.
Arif’s wife, Zainab Rasheed, said displacement had taken a toll on the family.
“We want to return too. It has been 7-8 years since we left our homes,” she said. “We want to return to our homeland under a regime that guarantees we won’t be displaced again.”
The government’s Syrian Arab Army and allied armed groups seized Kurdish-held cities in northern Syria before moving toward Kurdish strongholds in the northeast (Rojava) with fighting displacing more than 100,000 civilians in Kurdish-held areas of northern Syria, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) told Rudaw in late January.
Negotiators reached a deal to integrate Kurdish-led institutions into the central government including withdrawing frontline forces and incorporating some SDF brigades under government command.
The United Nations and humanitarian agencies say the Syrian crisis remains among the world’s worst displacement emergencies. Humanitarian agencies warn that civilians are especially vulnerable amid stretched support services, harsh winter conditions and lingering security risks.
Over 6.7 million people remain internally displaced inside Syria, with 3.7 million Syrian refugees living outside the country, the UN reports. More than 1.4 million Syrian refugees have returned home from neighboring countries, while nearly 2 million displaced Syrians have returned home since Bashar al-Assad’s regime was toppled in late 2024.
In the city of Derik (al-Malikiyah) in northeastern Syria’s Hasaka province, families who fled fighting over the past decade are sheltering in abandoned schools and mosques as they struggle to meet basic needs. Many were displaced multiple times during Syria’s 14-year civil war.
Mohammed Arif, who was forced to flee Afrin with his family, said he was seeking safe passage to the northern city which was seized from Kurdish fighters in 2018 and is now controlled by Damascus.
“We want to return (to our homes) based on the provisions of the agreement,” Arif said, in reference to a ceasefire between Damascus and Kurdish officials that stipulates the return of displaced Syrians.
The ceasefire ended weeks of fighting between the Syrian army and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that worsened an already dire humanitarian situation, displacing tens of thousands with electricity and road cuts that limited humanitarian aid.
Arif’s wife, Zainab Rasheed, said displacement had taken a toll on the family.
“We want to return too. It has been 7-8 years since we left our homes,” she said. “We want to return to our homeland under a regime that guarantees we won’t be displaced again.”
The government’s Syrian Arab Army and allied armed groups seized Kurdish-held cities in northern Syria before moving toward Kurdish strongholds in the northeast (Rojava) with fighting displacing more than 100,000 civilians in Kurdish-held areas of northern Syria, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) told Rudaw in late January.
Negotiators reached a deal to integrate Kurdish-led institutions into the central government including withdrawing frontline forces and incorporating some SDF brigades under government command.
The United Nations and humanitarian agencies say the Syrian crisis remains among the world’s worst displacement emergencies. Humanitarian agencies warn that civilians are especially vulnerable amid stretched support services, harsh winter conditions and lingering security risks.
Over 6.7 million people remain internally displaced inside Syria, with 3.7 million Syrian refugees living outside the country, the UN reports. More than 1.4 million Syrian refugees have returned home from neighboring countries, while nearly 2 million displaced Syrians have returned home since Bashar al-Assad’s regime was toppled in late 2024.