The Washokani Camp located west of Hassakeh province in Northeast Syria hosts more than 12 thousand civilians who were forced to flee their homes and neighbourhoods in Serêkaniyê and Girê Spî after Turkey’s cross-border military operation in the region in October 2019.
The forcibly displaced civilians living in tents are struggling in a dire situation not of their making and expect and want to return to their homes as soon as possible.
Rima Sexmus, a woman who has been living in the Washokani camp for two years now spoke to Hawar News Agency and described the conditions in which they are all faced with.
“We wake up very early every morning around seven to start working at the Women’s House,” she began, “As members of the management of this facility, we focus on tasks to provide services to our community here. We have so many different social problems to deal with. However, the lack of fresh water is one of the biggest problems in the camp.”
She emphasised that they would never have left their homes if they were not forced to.
“We have been forced to leave Serêkanîyê. Nothing could have otherwise made us leave our land. I want to be quite clear with you that all of our people here wish to return to their homes as soon as possible. This is our most urgent need.”
She added that the only way that they could return was by the ending of the occupation.
“We only wish we could go back home. It is our most strongest wish. But it first has to be liberated and freed from the enemy, the Turkish state that invaded it. We don’t really ask for anything, not for any support from any party or state except for being allowed to go back to our lands.”
