After Afrin was occupied by Turkey in early 2018, hundreds of thousands of Afrin residents were forced to leave their lands. After the occupation, more than 300 thousand Afrin residents resettled in the Shehba region.

Shehba was liberated from Al Nusra and ISIS groups by YPG-YPJ fighters in 2017. Til Rifet is the largest city in the Shehba region which covers many villages and towns located between the Afrin Canton and Aleppo.

Numerous Shehba residents lost their homes due to the demolition and plundering carried out by ISIS. After the occupation, the Afrin Autonomous Administration built a refugee camp in Shehba. There are 5 refugee camps in the Shehba region. Veger and Shehba camps, in particular, were subjected to constant attacks by the Turkish army. Thousands of civilians who migrated from Afrin reside in both camps. Thousands of other Afrin residents reside in the Serdem, Berxwedan and Afrin camps in the Shehba region.

PEOPLE WISH TO RETURN TO AFRIN

Berxwedan Camp Council co-chair Şêxo Îbrahim spoke to ANF about living conditions in the camps. Îbrahim said that the Democratic Autonomous Administration system was established in Afrin before the occupation resumed in Shehba. “First of all, communes were formed in the camp, then councils consisting of several committees were established. These committees deal with social issues, health, defence and municipal activities. Everyone knows that it is very difficult to live in tents. The people of Shehba face major difficulties, especially in the winter months,” he said.

“We are determined to finish our resistance in a successful way. The Shehba region has been under siege since the beginning of the war. Turkey, Russia and Syria constantly threaten us with attacks. Despite all this, the only aim of the people is to return to Afrin,” Îbrahim concluded.

WE DON'T LOSE HOPE DESPITE DIFFICULTIES

Afrin region is rich in terms of agriculture; the people earn their living from it. Although Shehba is close to Afrin, its nature and climate are different. When Shehba was under the occupation of ISIS, people could not take care of their fields. Since the Afrin people are fond of nature and agriculture, the camp is decorated with flowers.

Hacer Xelîl, one of the camp residents, revealed that their lives in Shehba and Afrin were different and said: “Since Afrin has a wide territory, everyone owned a piece of land. Of course, life in the camp is very difficult, but we never feel weak. We built a life in the camp. We planted trees and flowers around our camp. Maybe very little, but the green areas boost the morale of the elderly people, children, women and everyone living in the camp. Since we are in tents, we improve ourselves mentally to jettison the difficulties and the burden on our shoulders. Our children continue to go to school.”

OUR GOAL IS TO RETURN TO AFRIN

When the camps were established in Shehba, schools for education in the mother tongue were opened. Teachers were teaching kids in tents at the beginning, yet proper schools were later opened with the support of Heyva Sor. Heyva Sor also opened its own health centres in all camps and provides 24-hour health services.

Security is the key issue in the camps in Shehba. The camp is protected by the Heza Parastina Civakî forces which are organised in line with the philosophy of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan. The Afrin people have been resisting in Shehba for 4 years under difficult conditions. Their only goal is to return to Afrin after their lands are liberated.