The Serê Kaniyê / Ras al-Ain / Resh Ayno Displaced Persons Committee announced, in a statement issued on August 11, 2026, the temporary suspension of preparations for sending upcoming convoys, including the second convoy. This decision comes in light of the attacks targeting the first convoy of returning civilians and the absence of adequate security guarantees to protect them. The committee emphasized that the decision “is neither a retreat from the right of return nor a suspension of the return project,” but rather an emergency measure to protect civilians and their property. It demanded urgent intervention to protect returnees, a transparent investigation into the attacks, and the provision of clear legal and security guarantees, reaffirming its adherence to the right of displaced persons to return to their homes.
Text of the Statement:
In light of the flagrant and dangerous attacks to which the first convoy of civilians returning to Serê Kaniyê / Ras al-Ain was subjected, accompanied by acts of harm, intimidation, deliberate targeting of civilians, damage to their property, and gunfire in their vicinity, and amid the absence of adequate and effective security measures to protect returnees, the Serê Kaniyê / Ras al-Ain / Resh Ayno Displaced Persons Committee expresses its deep concern and strong condemnation of the developments witnessed in and around the city that threaten civilian lives and undermine their legitimate right to a safe return to their homes.
According to testimonies and information reaching us, the majority of families who arrived in the city are currently living in a state of fear and direct threat, while other families have been forced to take shelter inside their homes and hideouts under extremely hazardous security conditions. Meanwhile, some families are searching for safe passages and routes to exit the danger zones.
What transpired cannot be treated as a passing incident or an isolated issue; rather, it represents an extremely dangerous development and a direct targeting of the right of displaced civilians to return to their original areas. It also raises serious questions regarding the capacity of the authorities tasked with protecting returnees to fulfill their responsibilities.
In light of this, the Committee stresses that the relevant authorities—foremost among them the government in Damascus, the presidential team, and the security and military entities tasked with protecting returnees—bear a clear legal and moral responsibility to ensure civilian safety and secure the necessary conditions for their return. They also bear the responsibility to prevent any attempt to obstruct or derail the displaced persons’ right of return, including any infringement upon the guarantees regarding the right of return stipulated in the January 29 agreement.
The right of displaced persons to return to their original regions and homes is a legitimate, non-negotiable right that cannot be compromised or waived. The Serê Kaniyê / Ras al-Ain / Resh Ayno Displaced Persons Committee will not retreat from this right and will continue to work through all available peaceful, legal, and political means to achieve a safe, dignified, and sustainable return, and to end the reality of forced displacement and imposed settlement in the region.
Accordingly:
The Serê Kaniyê / Ras al-Ain / Resh Ayno Displaced Persons Committee announces the temporary suspension of preparations for sending upcoming convoys, including the second convoy, until minimum security, legal, and operational conditions and guarantees are provided to ensure the protection of returning civilians and the safety of their lives and property.
The Committee affirms that this decision is neither a retreat from the right of return nor a suspension of the return project, but rather a necessary and responsible measure aimed at protecting civilian lives and preventing them from being exposed to danger under current circumstances.
Our key demands are as follows:
Urgent and immediate intervention to protect returning civilians trapped inside the city, secure safe corridors for them when needed, and ensure they are not subjected to any attack or threat.
Opening an independent, clear, and transparent investigation into the attacks on the first convoy, revealing the circumstances of what occurred, and explicitly establishing accountability by the government in Damascus, the presidential team, and the relevant security authorities.
Identifying the individuals and groups involved in the attacks, arresting those responsible, referring them to the competent judiciary, and ensuring that no perpetrator escapes accountability.
Taking serious and concrete steps to end the reality of imposed settlement in Serê Kaniyê / Ras al-Ain, halting any practices aimed at changing the demographic composition of the region, and ensuring the return of indigenous inhabitants to their homes and properties.
Providing clear and publicly announced legal, security, and operational guarantees on the ground to protect returnees, their lives, and their property, and ensuring they are not subjected to threats, attacks, or retaliation.
Establishing a clear and transparent mechanism for managing and organizing return convoys, coordinated between the Displaced Persons Committee and relevant authorities, ensuring civilian protection from the moment the convoy departs until their arrival and settlement in their original areas.
Ensuring no repetition of what happened to the first convoy, requiring the protection-tasked entities to assume their full responsibilities, and prohibiting any entity or armed group from imposing a security reality that prevents displaced persons from exercising their right of return.
In conclusion, the Serê Kaniyê / Ras al-Ain / Resh Ayno Displaced Persons Committee emphasizes that suspending the convoys is a temporary measure dictated by our responsibility toward civilian lives and safety, and is neither a step back from the right of return nor an acceptance of continued displacement.
The cause of Serê Kaniyê / Ras al-Ain is one of return, rights, dignity, and justice—not one of aid or temporary arrangements. From this standpoint, the Committee will continue its peaceful, legal, and political struggle to ensure the return of all displaced persons to their homes, the restoration of their rights and property, the termination of displacement and settlement, and the consolidation of security and stability in the city and its countryside.
