Serekaniye | Hundreds of families return while displaced Kurds continue waiting after seven years

On 5 October 2026, the third convoy of displaced families began returning to villages and towns around Serekaniye/Ras al-Ayn in Hasakah province, after nearly seven years of displacement.

The convoy included more than 3,200 people from over 500 families who had been living in Washo Kani camp, shelters and schools across Hasakah province.

Most returnees are Arab

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, about 90% of those in the convoy are Arab residents displaced from the area, alongside a number of Kurdish families. Other displaced Kurds are still unable to return to their original villages and homes.

Kurdish villages still waiting

The Observatory identified Kurdish displaced people from villages including Dawoudiya Mulla Salman, Bab al-Faraj and Nadas. Some residents’ return remains tied to the security and military situation, including the continued presence of armed forces and factions in some villages and areas.

Displacement since 2019

Large-scale displacement from Serekaniye and its countryside began in October 2019 after the Turkish military operation known as “Peace Spring”. Since then, thousands of residents have lived in camps, shelters and other parts of northeast Syria.

A gradual return

Gradual returns have begun in recent months. Two groups preceded the current convoy, with the second group in September including about 700 families. Even so, local reports say more than 14,000 displaced people are still waiting to return, including to the centre of Serekaniye.

Returns need guarantees

Return involves more than transporting families from camps to their villages. It requires security, mine clearance, restored services, protection of homes and property, and guarantees that all residents can return without discrimination. Rights groups say returns must be safe, voluntary and dignified, with obstacles to residents reaching their original villages removed.

The Kurdish displacement file remains open

Despite the return of hundreds of families, the case of displaced Kurds who still cannot return to their villages and homes remains one of Serekaniye’s most pressing unresolved issues.

Seven years after their displacement, Kurdish families are still waiting to return to their homes and land.

KURD24 | Syria – Hasakah – Serekaniye