First convoy of displaced Afrin families set to return under Damascus-SDF agreement

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A convoy carrying hundreds of displaced families from Afrin in northwest Syria is set to depart from northeastern Hasaka province on Monday morning as part of arrangements under the January 29 agreement between the Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), according to Syrian state media.

The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that a presidential delegation tasked with implementing the agreement met Sunday with Hasaka governor Nour al-Din Ahmad to discuss mechanisms for facilitating the return of Afrin residents to their towns.

The meeting brought together officials from Aleppo province and Afrin district director Khairu Daoud, who reviewed the executive steps needed to organize the return process.

It was agreed that “the first convoy, consisting of around 400 families originally from Afrin, will depart at 7 am local time on Monday from the Panorama Roundabout south of Hasaka city.”

Citing authorities, the agency said the convoy “will travel under strict security measures to ensure the safety of the returning families.”

The planned convoy comes after years of displacement for many Afrin residents, thousands of whom have been living in cities, towns, and rural areas across Hasaka province, as well as in temporary shelter centers.

The return initiative follows a January 29 ceasefire agreement between Damascus and the SDF after weeks of fighting. The deal outlined a framework for integrating SDF-affiliated military and administrative institutions into Syrian state structures and allowed Syrian government security forces to enter key areas including the centers of Hasaka and Qamishli.

It also provided for the Syrian state to assume control of civil institutions, border crossings, and official entry points.

The return of displaced people, particularly those from Afrin, was one of the agreement’s key provisions.

However, the process had faced obstacles. Kurdish officials said last month that many displaced residents have been unable to return to their homes because they are currently occupied by Arab families who were relocated to Afrin during the years of conflict.

In late February, a senior member of the Kurdish National Council (KNC/ENKS), speaking to Rudaw on condition of anonymity, said that “Arab [settlers] who had been brought from Deir ez-Zor have settled in Kurdish homes in Afrin and refuse to leave,” adding that they have “occupied hundreds of large houses and expensive villas, and they will not vacate them without government pressure.”

Local officials say the issue remains a major barrier to broader returns. Azad Osman, a member of the Afrin local council affiliated with the ENKS, told Rudaw last month that “a convoy of 400 families was scheduled to return to Afrin,” but their return was delayed “because the settlers refused to vacate the homes.”

Afrin has been under the control of Turkish forces and allied Syrian opposition groups since early 2018, when Turkish troops and affiliated factions captured the northern Syrian region during a military offensive.