afrinpost – Exclusive
Following the devastating earthquake that struck northern Syria and southern Turkey on February 6th, the Turkish authorities took advantage of the emergency situation to deepen and expand the process of demographic change by bringing more IDPs loyal to them from Idlib and Turkey to Afrin. They also began building more camps under the pretext of accommodating those affected by the earthquake, which is causing fear among the survivors from the region and their concern about losing their land and homes.
According to footage obtained by afrinpost sources, the camps are spread on both sides of the road between the cities of Afrin and Jindires, more than ten kilometers apart. In addition to these camps, there are also those established in the squares of Afrin city and its western highway, as well as within Jindires, which only house IDPs loyal to the militias there.
The original Kurdish residents refuse to live in the camps, preferring to pitch a tent next to their destroyed homes. They justify this by saying “we were not safe from the harm of these Displaced people when we were behind cement walls and closed doors” one resident of Jindires told afrinpost.
In addition, the Turkish-affiliated militias known as the “National Army” are working diligently, under the pretext of “humanitarian goals,” to seize more agricultural land by force and set up camps on it, which is a new opportunity for financial gain through bringing aid and relief and stealing it.
“Armed Land Grab”
On February 14th, a group of “Faylaq al-Sham” Islamist militants affiliated with the “National Army” attacked the Kurdish citizen Ahmed Maamo’s family (Ahmadi Khaji), men and women, including the elderly 70-year-old Abdulrahman, for refusing to give up their agricultural land adjacent to the historic Tel Jindires to establish a camp for earthquake victims.
An eyewitness present during the attack told “afrinpost” that the armed militia threatened the owners of the agricultural land with murder if they filed complaints with the Turkish authorities. He pointed out that the attack on the Kurdish family and the pointing of a gun at the head of Ahmed’s mother was carried out in the presence of members of the “Saudi Ameen” organization, which will support the camp, as well as in the sight of dozens of residents of the devastated lower neighborhood in the city of Jindires.
The witness confirmed that the militia then fenced off the 22-dunum land and erected dozens of tents on it, explaining that the attempt to seize that land has been ongoing for four years, but members of the local council in Jindires took advantage of the earthquake and coordinated with the “Faylaq al-Sham” militia to seize that land, including “Shams al-Din Houtou, Abdou Musa Taltalo, and Yazan Nasser.”
“Fake and Temporary Camps“
In the context, armed groups in the “National Army” militias established temporary “fake” camps to deceive aid organizations with the aim of bringing in support. A source in the village of Jalmah, east of the devastated town of Jendiris, reported that one of the National Army militants offered a local resident to allow the temporary installation of about 30 tents on his land and to film the camp in order to attract financial and relief support, with a promise to remove it and pay the Kurdish citizen a substantial reward, saying to him, “Ask for the amount you want and I will pay it to you.” However, the Kurdish citizen immediately refused the offer out of fear that it might be a trick like the fabricated camp and that he might lose his land forever.
Activist Ahmed Al-Barhou confirmed the proliferation of fake camps everywhere in the city of Afrin, saying that “most of them were built specifically to steal aid, and some have moved from camps near Afrin to the city center, where they come during the day and return to their previous camps at night to hunt for aid and then carry it to their first dwelling at night.”
“Qatari Settlement Activity”
On Sunday, February 19th, the local council of Sheikh al-Hadid, which is affiliated with the Turkish authorities, announced the opening of a large camp near the village of Hekeche, Jindires district, to accommodate the earthquake victims from the devastated city of Jindires. Ahmed Bakr, the head of the council, explained in a video clip that the camp consists of 437 tents, and expansion work on the camp is underway to reach a number of one thousand tents, with Qatari funding.
The camp is being constructed on free forested lands, after the pine forests in the area were eliminated by the Turkish-affiliated militias. On February 12th, the Qatar Charity Foundation announced the implementation of what it called the “City of Dignity” project to rebuild the earthquake-affected areas in northern Syria.
It is worth noting that many institutions and associations with Muslim Brotherhood backgrounds have been present since the beginning of the occupation of Afrin, and have effectively contributed to the projects of building settlement colonies that have entrenched demographic change in the Kurdish region. Thus, there are serious concerns that the Turkish authorities will exploit the earthquake catastrophe to establish a large settlement on the ruins of the devastated city of Jindires.
In a related context to Qatari efforts, the director of international relief and development at the Qatari Red Crescent said that the extensive damage to the roads in northern Syria and the weather conditions are complicating relief efforts. He added, “We will soon equip a camp for the earthquake victims in northern Syria.”
