Kamile Kandal, Co-Chair of the Migration Monitoring Association (GÖÇIZDER), said that since the beginning of the war in Syria, millions of people have been forcibly displaced, and that in the most recent period, attacks carried out under the rule of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) have generated a new wave of displacement and humanitarian crisis, particularly targeting Kurdish regions.
Kandal stated that people who had previously been forced to flee Afrin are now being displaced once again due to attacks around Kobanê and Hesekê, leading to intense internal migration from villages toward urban centers. She said that the obstruction of humanitarian aid has resulted in a severe assistance crisis across the region. Despite these conditions, Kandal emphasized that people living in Kurdish areas are choosing to remain on their own land rather than moving beyond the borders, noting that this reflects a strong collective will to resist displacement.
Attacks on Kurdish regions deepen displacement and humanitarian crisis
Kamile Kandal said that more than six million people have been forcibly displaced within Syria throughout the course of the war, noting that this figure does not include those who have fled abroad.
Kandal said: “There was a constant state of displacement from region to region, from city to city. Throughout the Syrian war, following the end of the Bashar al-Assad regime and the installation of HTS together with the Damascus government, attacks began, particularly targeting Kurdish regions. There were attacks and massacres against Alawites and Druze.
When attacks on Kurdish regions began, a new wave of displacement emerged. People who had previously been forced to flee Afrin to Raqqa and Tabqa were once again compelled to relocate following the latest attacks. There is now serious displacement from villages to urban centers, especially from villages around Kobanê and from villages surrounding Hesekê. This situation, combined with population growth, is causing a severe humanitarian crisis. There is no electricity, no water, and no fuel in Kobanê. We know very well that this is linked to attacks carried out by HTS on the Tishrin Dam.
At present, there is a clear humanitarian and aid crisis. On the one hand, people have urgent needs; on the other, humanitarian assistance is being obstructed.”
Global reactions forced a step back
Kamile Kandal said that the deepening humanitarian crisis in Syria has ceased to be a regional issue, noting that the shared response shown by Kurds across different geographies has affected the balance of forces on the ground. Kandal also said: “This humanitarian crisis has now reached the world. It has generated strong reactions, particularly in Turkey, Europe and the United States. Kurds rose up in the face of a potential threat. People took to the streets in Southern Kurdistan (Başur), in Turkey and across Europe. This mass reaction created pressure on the Damascus government and on international institutions, forcing a step back.
At this stage, an agreement was reached yesterday. We are hopeful. However, it is crucial that this agreement is implemented. Otherwise, we have already witnessed the resumption of new attacks in the past. As institutions working specifically in the field of migration, we are closely monitoring this process due to the hardships faced by displaced people. For this reason, our expectations and hopes are high.”
The agreement will shape the course ahead
Kandal said that the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the region has become not only a security issue but a matter of the fundamental right to life, stressing that the continued closure of border gates is deepening the crisis.
Kandal also added: “Access to water and electricity, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid, requires the opening of border gates as a matter of urgency. With this agreement, we believe that problems related to electricity and water can be resolved. However, as long as the border gates remain closed, access to food will pose extremely serious difficulties. Reports by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the United Nations, journalists on the ground and political actors all point to a severe humanitarian crisis. This situation must be overcome. The greatest responsibility falls on us; this is our border and these are regions where Kurds live.
We expect support from all institutions working in this field, and we are also trying to contribute. In Turkey, representatives from political parties, including the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), have traveled to Rojava, and contacts have been carried out at the level of party leadership and members of parliament. These are highly valuable and meaningful steps. We believe that the agreement reached between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and HTS will be decisive for the future of the process.”
The humanitarian crisis cannot be overcome unless Mürşitpınar is opened
Kamile Kandal said that similar processes have collapsed in the past and that they are therefore proceeding with caution but stressed that the humanitarian crisis has now reached a level that can no longer be postponed. Kandal continued: “We are taking precautions, because we have seen these processes break down before. In this sense, just as we have made known the experiences of those who were forcibly displaced, or rather, those who were compelled to flee due to war and attacks and just as we have spoken out about massacres, human rights violations, torture and detentions, we must also raise our voices today about the humanitarian crisis and the food and medicine shortage.
We are calling on Turkey and other countries in this regard. Border gates must be opened, first and foremost the Mürşitpınar Border Gate. People want to provide assistance from this side; they want to send aid trucks. There is a strong humanitarian willingness, but the state is not opening that gate. It must be opened as soon as possible.
There are truly people there who are in urgent need; they cannot access medicine, food, flour, and many other necessities. Yesterday, trucks that were intended to be sent from Suruç were turned back. Unfortunately, we are witnessing and monitoring this. A heartbreaking humanitarian tragedy is unfolding.
We believe this can be resolved, because we no longer see this as a problem in a small region. This is happening before the eyes of the world. The world is watching the siege of Kobanê, the attacks around Hesekê, and the assaults targeting North and East Syria. For this reason, we believe that international pressure in favor of a solution is taking shape, and that this support is highly meaningful. Of course, above all, the determination and resistance of the people living there are critically important.”
Kurds show the will not to abandon their land even under war conditions
Kamile Kandal said that despite the severe conditions created by the war, recent displacement dynamics in Kurdish regions have revealed a striking will of resistance. Kandal also said: “I would like to underline this point in particular: throughout the Syrian war, nearly five million Syrians came to Turkey. During this process, some returned while others remained. We carried out numerous studies on this issue, conducted research, drew attention to human rights violations, and organized protests.
However, there is a very important reality that stands out in the most recent phase of the war. Despite the escalation of violence, there has been no mass cross-border displacement from Kurdish regions. Instead, what we have seen is movement from city to city and from region to region, in other words, internal displacement. This demonstrates people’s determination not to abandon their own lands. This is extremely important. The Kurds’ will not to leave their homes and homeland, even under conditions of war, has been shown to the world, and we attach great importance to this.
Yet this also places a responsibility on us, on institutions, on sensitive segments of society, on political parties and on the international public, to stand by this determination, to support it, and to take responsibility for removing the obstacles preventing humanitarian aid.”