Hediye Abdullah, Co-Chair of the Kurdistan Red Crescent (Heyva Sor a Kurd), spoke to ANF about the work carried out during the period of mobilization and the forced displacement of families. Abdullah said that the Kurdistan Red Crescent has focused primarily on health care and ambulance services during this period, adding that centers across the whole of North and East Syria are operating with extraordinary efforts.
We supported our people despite the scale of the crisis
Abdullah stressed that their primary duty during the forced displacement of families was to stand with the people. She said: “We moved immediately to meet urgent needs in emergencies. From the moment our people were confronted with displacement, we began providing assistance. However, the scale of the situation and what we were facing was immense. Despite this, we supported our people, because this displacement was one of the harshest processes our people have endured. This time, the fact that almost everyone turned toward Qamishlo placed serious pressure on our work. Because most of those forced to flee settled in homes, it took time to organize families and deliver aid.”
Abdullah said teams from the Kurdistan Red Crescent worked around the clock without interruption, and that health teams and mobile clinics were deployed to gathering areas. She noted that because the majority of those forced to flee headed toward 12 March Stadium, a clinic and a permanent team were established there. Recalling that the displacement took place under snowy, rainy, and cold weather conditions, Abdullah added that doctors were also working in the field in mobile units.
Abdullah said that during this period, essential needs, particularly milk for children, were distributed on a regular basis, that mattresses and blankets were delivered to families, and that teams visited homes every day to organize family needs and assistance plans.
Kurds around the world stood in solidarity with the people of Rojava
Abdullah said that during the first four days after families were forced to flee, the Kurdistan Red Crescent was the only organization present in the field. She said other civil society organizations were unable to enter the field during this period, and that limited assistance began to reach Rojava only later.
Abdullah stressed that Kurds around the world showed solidarity with the people of Rojava, noting that Kurds in Southern Kurdistan (Başur) in particular organized numerous campaigns. She said the Kurdistan Red Crescent in Southern Kurdistan provided strong support to the Kurdistan Red Crescent in Rojava, adding that approximately 300,000 US dollars in aid has been delivered since the beginning of the process.
Abdullah said medical supplies were distributed to the public and health teams in line with needs, and that medicines and basic medical necessities have begun to be provided at six hospitals and around thirty health centers in Qamishlo. She added that the necessary support has been provided to activate echocardiography, imaging, and X-ray services at Qamishlo People’s Hospital.
12,000 families were forced to flee to Qamishlo
Abdullah said that around 12,000 families were forcibly displaced, with the vast majority settling in Qamishlo. She noted that aid is being distributed through 116 schools and newly established centers, adding that around twenty schools in Derik and between 15 and 20 centers in other cities are being used for families who have been forced to flee.
Abdullah said that clothing, blankets, tents, and basic daily necessities are being distributed in Qamishlo, and that for the past five days assistance has been delivered to homes. She added that aid will soon reach all families in areas extending to the Xerbî neighborhood, Hilêlîyê neighborhood, Kornîş neighborhood, and Enterîyê neighborhood in Qamishlo.
If these conditions continue, serious health risks will emerge
Abdullah warned that if those who have been forcibly displaced continue to live under these conditions, serious health risks will arise. She concluded: “As long as our people have needs, we will be there. This is a very heavy process for both our people and for us. Yet we can overcome this process through solidarity and collective effort. What has been experienced has involved great suffering, but the Kurdish people’s defense of Rojava has also given strength to the Kurdistan Red Crescent. The most basic need of our people who have been forcibly displaced is to return to their own lands as soon as possible. Schools are not suitable for long-term shelter; food, hygiene, and health conditions are inadequate. If this situation drags on, serious health problems and the risk of epidemics may emerge, especially during the summer months. For this reason, an urgent solution must be found.”
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