RONÎDA HACÎ

Hasakah-The international conspiracy against Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan has left its five years behind. On October 9, 2019, the 20th anniversary of the conspiracy, the Turkish state and Turkish-backed factions occupied Serêkaniyê (Ras al-Ayn) and Girê Spî (Tell Abyad), displacing more than 200,000 people to the areas controlled by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).

The displaced people settled in different cities of North and East Syria, 16,000 of them were placed in the Washokani camp, an informal internally displaced person (IDP) camp in Hasakah. Since it is an informal IDPs camp run by the AANES, the displaced people in the camp receive no aid from the United Nations. The displaced people living in the camp struggle to survive in the hope that they will return to their city.

In two cities controlled by the Turkish state and Turkish-backed factions, women are subjected to violations such as harassment, violence, torture and kidnapping. Many women are held in prisons of the Turkish state and Turkish-backed factions.

On the fifth anniversary of the occupation, women of Serêkaniyê living in the camp state that they will take their city back from occupiers.

‘We chose to resist’

Zibêda Ehmed, a displaced woman of Serêkaniyê living in the camp, thinks that the occupation of Serêkaniyê is the continuation of the international conspiracy against Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan.

“Everyone knows that our city was occupied on the same day when the conspiracy started against Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan. They (The Turkish state) tried to separate the people from their leader; however, they failed. Today, the conspiracy continues in many ways. The occupation of Serêkaniyê is the continuation of this conspiracy. For five years, we have resisted in the Washokani camp to respond to the conspiracy. We chose to resist to protect our country and cities. As displaced people in the camp, we face many difficulties but no one dies of hunger.”

‘The Turkish state targeted our unity by attacking our city’

The occupation of Serêkaniyê is essentially an attack on the will of the people, said Emîna Ehmed, a displaced woman of Serêkaniyê. “We built a safe and common life in Serêkaniyê; however, the Turkish state attacked our safe and common life. We have been living in the camp for five years and the living conditions of the displaced people are very bad. Until now, humanitarian aid organizations have not changed our tents. We will change our tents to be ready for winter. All we want is to return to our homeland. The Turkish state violated our rights by occupying our homes, our cities, and forcing us to live in tents. We call on humanitarian aid organizations to fulfill their responsibilities. All we want is our homeland, nothing else.”