BERÇEM CÛDÎ

Kobanê – The people of Afrin resisted for 58 days against the occupying attacks launched by the Turkish state and Turkish-backed factions in Afrin on January 20, 2018. On March 18, 2018, the Turkish state and Turkish-backed factions took control of Afrin, displacing thousands to Shahba.

Seven years of occupation, two displacements

Following the fall of the Assad regime, the Turkish state and Turkish-backed factions attacked Shahba, displacing the displaced people of Afrin taking shelter in IDPs camps in Shahba. The displaced people of Afrin left Shahba and were transferred to Kobanê, Tabqa, Raqqa, Qamishlo and Hasakah by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).

NuJINHA spoke to Hamîde Mihemed, one of the displaced women of Afrin, who have settled in Kobanê, on the 8th anniversary of the occupation in Afrin.

‘We built a beautiful life’

At the beginning of her speech, Hamîde Mihemed talked about her longing for Afrin. “Due to the occupation, our wounds are still fresh,” she said. “Afrin has an important history and a beautiful nature. It has valleys, olive, walnut, fig and pomegranate trees. The Baathist regime oppressed us for years, attacking our homes and properties. Our life completely changed when the revolution started on July 19, 2012. After the revolution, we started to govern and organize ourselves; we formed our defense forces. We built a beautiful life led by women and young people.”

‘Our wounds and our anger are fresh’

Hamîde Mihemed told us that they, as the people of Afrin, had waged a great resistance against the attacks of the Turkish state and Turkish-backed factions on Afrin. “Afrin was ‘the heart of Kurdistan’. The people of Afrin from all ages, together with our defense forces and the AANES, waged a great resistance against the attacks on our city. We mourned our martyrs and defended ourselves against the attacks. Therefore, we will never forget what we experienced. Our wounds and our anger are still fresh.”

Hamîde Mihemed also talked about the attacks of ISIS on Kobanê. “The resistance in Kobanê inspired us, the people of Afrin, to resist the Turkish attacks. However, we had to leave Afrin because the Turkish state and Turkish-backed factions intensified their attacks on us. We settled in Shahba and built a new life there with the hope of returning to Afrin one day. However, the Turkish state attacked us again, displaced us again. We had to leave Shahba to safe areas in northeastern Syria. We have been displaced twice by the Turkish state.”

 ‘We trust our fighters and their strength’

Hamîde Mihemed commented on the agreement between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the interim government in Syria. “One of the articles of the agreement is to ensure the return of displaced people to Afrin, Serêkanîyê (Ras al-Ayn) and Girê Spî (Tell Abyad). We trust our fighters and their strength but not the new government. What has been happening on the Syrian coast shows us that we should not trust the government. When we return to our homeland, we want to live under the umbrella of the Autonomous Administration. The Turkish state must leave Syria now. It’s time for us, as Syrian people, to determine our own destiny.”