SORGUL ŞÊXO 

Hesekê – is a Syriac village located between Hesekê and Til Temir. It is one of the 33 Syriac villages in the region. The church and houses in the village were destroyed in the attacks of ISIS on the village. During the attacks many Syriac people were forcibly displaced, women and children were abducted by ISIS. 

People from different ethnic groups live together 

Most Syriac people went to European countries due to attacks on the village, while some families try to survive in the village. These families keep performing their religious rituals even if their church is destroyed. You can hear the ringing of the church bell three times a day in the village. This village is the house of hundreds of people who have been forcibly displaced from the villages of Serêkaniyê, Til Temir, and Zirga, These people from different ethnic and religious groups live together in the village now. The people, who took shelter in the village at the beginning of the attacks, have lived in the houses left by villagers but the displaced people who later arrived in the village have to live in tents with their animals.

They live in tents

Cemila Ebdellah’s family had a house property in their village but now they don’t have even a shelter. The family consisting of 10 persons lives in a tent in the Til Ruman village now. After being forcibly displaced from their village, the family lived in the Til Shinan village for two years and they have lived in the Til Ruman village for five years.

 “We make the village livable again” 

Stating that they try to keep their tents standing by using the ruins left by ISIS, Cemila Ebdellah said, “We built walls by using ruins and mud. The Syriac people had left their village due to attacks. Now, we try to green and make the village livable village again. We set up tents in destroyed houses. We turned them into shelters for ourselves, our children, and animals. We are 10 people living in the same tent. We have a wood-burning stove in the tent but it doesn’t keep us warm in the winter.”

Drought affects them and their animals

Stating that they face water shortage due to low rainfall, Cemila Ebdellah said, “But when it rains, it sneaks into our tent. Our clothes and beds get wet. This year’s drought affects both us and our animals. There are not enough grasses for our animals. We make a living by feeding 20 animals. We keep our animals in the destroyed building. Before we made a living from our crops but we cannot plant anything for two years. If we leave our country, we will have a better life. But we don’t want to leave. We will not leave our lands. We want to return our village.”