Turkey, with assistance from Kuwait, has built three residential complexes in the Afrin (Efrîn) countryside within the “Olive Branch” area, according to a recent report by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). The region, located in northwestern Aleppo, Syria, is currently under the control of Turkish forces and their proxies.
The charity organisation Sakhaa’, supported by Kuwait, brought heavy machinery and equipment to an area between the villages of Kafaromah and Qartqlak Sagher in the Sharan district of Afrin. Olive trees and forestry were uprooted to make way for the construction of residential complexes that will house the families of Turkish-backed militiamen. These developments are happening alongside the ongoing forced deportation of Syrian refugees from Turkey into Syrian territory.
Turkey’s actions in Afrin are widely viewed by local rights advocates and NGOs, including the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) and
Syrians for Truth and Justice (STJ), as part of a broader strategy to alter the demographic composition of the areas it seized during the “Olive Branch” and “Peace Spring” military operations in 2018 and 2019. These operations allowed Turkish forces to gain control over Afrin and other regions in northern Syria, leading to concerns about the displacement and forced demographic changes inflicted upon the indigenous population. So far, nearly one-third of the indigenous population of the region has been displaced.
This latest report adds to growing evidence of Turkey’s settlement plans in northern Syria. Furthermore, the ongoing forced deportations of Syrian refugees from Turkey to Syrian territory exacerbate the concerns.
A recent interview with far-right Turkish politician Ümit Özdağ has provided further confirmation of Turkey’s settlement plans in northern Syria. Özdağ revealed that during the negotiations between his far-right electoral bloc and the ruling People’s Alliance for the recent presidential run-off, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) representative expressed the Turkish government’s intention to build settlements in northern Syria for one million refugees.
Additionally, settlements funded by Palestinian donations are being established in the Afrin region. The recent opening of a housing village in the Jinderis (Cinderes) district, named Palestine Ajnadine, is one example. This village can accommodate nearly 50 families who were previously living in makeshift camps in the countryside of Cinderes.
Meanwhile, a May report by AfrinPost highlighted the irony of Palestinians financing a settlement project in Syria, stating that it may come as a surprise that Palestinians who have been victims of Israeli settlements and experienced displacement and refuge in neighbouring countries are now funding a settlement project in Syria for the benefit of a non-Arab state that occupies areas within it. The report noted that ideological loyalty seems to take precedence over national belonging and experience of oppression in this case.
The AfrinPost report further emphasised that the Palestinian funding extends beyond providing relief aid and mosque construction projects and includes financing settlement projects in the Kurdish region, particularly in Afrin, potentially contributing to the demographic changes being implemented by Turkish authorities in the area.
