HESNA MIHEMED

Shahba- Two deadly earthquakes centered in Maraş have caused destruction in the cities of Turkey, Kurdistan and Syria. The earthquakes have killed and injured hundreds of thousands of people in Syria; the Shahba Canton of North and East Syria has been also affected by these earthquakes. The displaced people of Afrin, who live in Shahba have set up tents in front of their houses in order to protect themselves. NuJINHA spoke to displaced women of Afrin, who live in the Marat village of Shahba’s Ehdas town.

 Emîna Koleş, a displaced woman from Afrin Canton’s Senar village, also set up a tent in front of their houses in the Marat village. “We settled in the village of Marat in order to protect ourselves from the enemy’s attacks. Many houses in Shahba have already been damaged due to the conflicts. The earthquakes have also damaged many houses. The earthquakes have damaged our house, too. For this reason, we set up a tent in front of our house. There are seven people living in this small tent. My children were in Aleppo but they came here after the earthquakes. Now, we live in a tent together. All I want is to return to Afrin. I can live in a small tent forever if I live in Afrin. I wish I was a branch of basil and lived in front of my house in Afrin,” Emîna Koleş said.

 19 people live in a small tent

Emîna Hisên, a displaced woman from Afrin’s Jindires town, has lived in a small tent with her family of 19. “We have lived in Shahba’s Marat village. We had to leave Afrin due to the ongoing Turkish attacks on Afrin. After the earthquakes damaged our house, we slept in freezing temperatures for days. My children used to live in a flat in Aleppo. They came here after the earthquakes. My grandchildren live in fear. We used plastic materials and blankets to set up a tent. 19 people now live in this small tent. The Autonomous Administration helps us and meets our needs.”

 “Before the earthquakes, many houses in Shahba were already damaged by the conflicts and clashes,” Sedat Reşîd said, “After the earthquakes; we could not stay in our house anymore. For this reason, we set up a tent in front of our house. But there is not enough space in the tent. We cannot lay down to sleep. We lost many of our relatives in Jindires due to the earthquakes. The Autonomous Administration has helped us despite all obstacles. We are 15 people living in a small tent now.