The descendants of the Armenians who fled to Serêkaniyê (Ras al-Ain) from the 1915 genocide have been expelled again 104 years later. Due to the attacks of the Turkish state and allied mercenaries, about thirty Armenian families have fled from Serêkaniyê.

Genocides are a tradition of the Turkish state, according to those affected. Turkey is encouraged by the persistent silence of the international community on the crimes. "The massacres and the occupation cannot be prevented by just criticizing them," they say.

“If someone had been called to account for the Armenian genocide…”

Wail Oseb is one of the Armenians who left Serêkaniyê because of the Turkish invasion. His ancestors first fled to Kobanê in 1915 and later settled in Serêkaniyê. He tells: "We cannot get rid of the Ottomans. At that time one and a half million Armenians were massacred. In all the years that have passed since then, no one has called the perpetrators to account. If someone had been called to account for the crimes of the Ottomans, the Turkish state would not do the same today."

“No one will return to the occupation zone”

Wail Oseb points out that hundreds of thousands of people have been driven into flight by the Turkish invasion and their possessions left behind are now being plundered by the occupying forces. "As long as the Turkish state and the gangs are in Serêkaniyê, no one will return there. The whole world knows that, but nobody does anything. We Armenians, Kurds, Arabs and Syriacs want to return our homes. We want the occupation to stop," he says.

“Erdoğan repeats the scenario of his ancestors”

His brother Cezayir Oseb tells: "Erdoğan repeats the scenario of his forefathers, implementing it against Armenians, Kurds, Syriacs and Arabs today. All are silent on Erdoğan’s acts. The U.S., Russia, the UN and Europe condemn them only verbally. Condemning is easy, I can do that too, but nothing comes out of that. The Turkish state uses every form of weapon. Irrespective of children and women, banned weapons such as white phosphorus have been used. Nobody is doing anything about it'.”

Cezayir Oseb stresses that Armenians, Kurds, Syriacs and Arabs are killed in the name of Islam: "There is a murderer, but nobody says anything. Trump has claimed that he would not allow any attack, but he has allowed Erdoğan. Without his permission, Erdoğan could not have attacked Serêkaniyê. He cannot be stopped by criticism. The tendency to massacre is probably in his genes."

“Our children are afraid”

Xelîl Cemil Oseb, the third brother, tells that they had to leave Serêkaniyê on the third day of the invasion: "The children were very afraid. We went to Heseke, there were six families from our village. We had been living together with the Kurds and Arabs until we were attacked with planes and artilleries."

The situation in the region has improved with the revolution in Rojava, said Xelîl Cemil. One of his sons is with the YPG, another with the Sutoro. "We were fine before the invasion. Nobody interfered us. Everything was normal. We did farming and livestock in the village. Our children went to school. Now everything is over. We would like to return, but as long as the Turkish state and the jihadists are there, we can't."