Representations of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria in Europe
Zana al-Ali
27 mrt. 2024
The United Nations does not recognize the internally displaced persons from Afrin, Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain), and Tel Abyad, northwest and northeast Syria, and does not provide any kind of support to them, an official in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) said on Wednesday.
Sheikhmus Ahmad, the co-chair of the AANES Office of IDPs and Refugees Affairs, stated that there are approximately one million IDPs residing in the AANES-held areas, distributed across 17 camps. However, the UN only recognizes five of these camps.
In March 18, 2018, Turkey and its affiliated armed opposition factions, aka the Syrian National Army (SNA), occupied Afrin through a military operation called Olive Branch. This resulted in the displacement of approximately 300,000 Kurdish inhabitants who were originally residing in the area.
Furthermore, in 2019, they launched the “Peace Spring” military operation in the cities of Tel Abyad and Sere Kaniye. This operation also led to the displacement of around 300,000 original inhabitants from these cities.
The camps recognized and supported by the UN are Hawl, Roj, Arisha, al-Mahmudli, and Newroz, added the official.
He further explained that the AANES manages six camps in Hasakah, one in Deir ez-Zor, another in Raqqa, two in Manbij, and five in the northern countryside of Aleppo, aka Shahba Region, in addition to makeshift camps in the region.
In 2018 and 2019, over half a million people were displaced from Afrin, Sere Kaniye, and Tel Abyad to areas controlled by the AANES. Many sought refuge in camps such as al-Shahba, Washokani, Sere Kaniye in Hasakah countryside, and Tel al-Samen in Raqqa countryside.
Ahmad emphasized that the UN does not acknowledge the camps accommodating displaced persons from Afrin, Sere Kaniye, and Tel Abyad.
He stated that the AANES collaborates with non-official humanitarian institutions and organizations within the UN to manage the camps.
The official urged the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), the UN, and the Arab League to contribute to the opening of crossings with the AANES, particularly highlighting the significance of the al-Ya’rubiyah crossing.
Al-Ya’rubiyah border-crossing is located on the Syrian-Iraqi border and was the official crossing between the two countries prior to the Syrian conflict in 2011.
Prior to the crossing’s closure in 2020, which happened because of a Russian-Chinese veto in the UNSC, 103 medical facilities were receiving aid across the crossing to northeastern Syria, according to a report by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to the Security Council.