Hundreds of thousands of people from Afrin, who were forced to leave with the invasion and genocidal attacks against the Kurdish people by the invading Turkish state and their allied Al Qaeda-derived gangs, await the day they can return to their lands in the Shehba Canton. The people of Afrin reorganize themselves and build a new life with great solidarity.

The people of Afrin were unable to take any of their belongings and their homes were all looted by the Turkish army and their allied gangs, but despite living under harsh conditions, they keep the hope of the day they will banish the Turkish state and their gangs from their lands alive. Hundreds of thousands of people from Afrin settled in the Shehba Canton, which has received no international aid to date, as the canton administration builds a new camp for them.

HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF CIVILIANS MIGRATED

Cîhan Xidro from the Shehba Canton Administration said hundreds of thousands of people moved into the region following he Turkish state attacks and added that the people don’t want to get too far away from Afrin, even though they have to live under harsh conditions. Cîhan Xidro said: “The Turkish state and their allied gangs have been attacking the Afrin Canton for 2 months. In the last 10 days, with the intensifying of civilian massacres, the people of Afrin have had to migrate to the Shehba Canton. Hundreds of thousands of people from Afrin are now in the Shehba Canton, and these people try to survive under very harsh conditions.

AID IS NOT ENOUGH

Cîhan Xidro said they only received support from the Euphrates and the Cizire regions to date: “There is a humanitarian crisis here. Our means are not enough to provide for so many people, and we don’t receive outside aid. To date, we have only received aid from the Euphrates and Cizire regions, and those are mostly things like bread, blankets, etc. which are not enough.”

NECESSITIES

“Through the ANF, I would like to call on all humanitarian aid organizations to help the people of Afrin,” said Cîhan Xidro and listed the most urgent necessities of the people as: “Some 600.000 people have been displaced. We are in need of food and water, primarily. There is also the fact that people here left their homes with only the clothes on their backs, there is a great need for clothes, blankets and tents as well.”

NEW CAMP UNDERWAY

A new camp is being built between the Shehba Region’s Fafînê subdistrict and Wehshiyê village for people from Afrin. Afrin Communes Administrator Ebdurehman Îbo spoke to the ANF in the area where preparations for the camp continue: “Many people are still sleeping outside on the streets. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to leave their lands and their homes due to Turkish state attacks. We will put up tents here and continue our resistance, we will never leave and abandon our lands to the Turkish state. We will return to Afrin. Soon we will be back on our lands.”

SPIRIT OF SOLIDARITY

The people of Afrin who arrived in the Shehba Canton support each other in a great spirit of solidarity. Several families stay in the same house in Shehba, and people try to resolve issues in daily life together and in solidarity. There are many residents who provide water for the people throughout the day for only the price of the gas they burn.

Mihemed Hesen has a tractor he brought from Afrin, with which he provides water for people: “There are many hardships here. We take water from wells and take it to the people. Normally, one tanker of water would cost 6 to 7 thousand liras to transport, but we do it for 2.5 to 4. Because the people have already been forced to move, so we provide water in return for just the gas the vehicles have to use.”