The government and the "Autonomous Administration" close the file of "Afrin IDPs"

On Thursday, July 16, the Syrian government and the Autonomous Administration closed the file of Afrin refugees after the ninth and last batch of the cities of Qamishli, Al-Hasakah and Al-Malikiyah headed towards their areas as the final stop of the voluntary return path that began at the beginning  of last March, after completing the return of the previous batches from the areas of Ain al-Arab and Al-Jazeera during the past months.

A source in Al-Hasakah province told Syrian News that the last batch of displaced people started in the early hours of the morning under the supervision of leaders of the Internal Security Forces in Al-Hasakah, and in the presence of a member of the presidential team in charge of implementing the January 29 agreement, Mustafa Abdi, who confirmed that this convoy officially closes the file of the displacement of the people of Afrin in the areas of northern and eastern Syria, pointing out that work is now moving towards organizing the return of the displaced people of Seri Kaniyeh/Ras al-Ain immediately after the completion of the removal of mines.

Work is underway to start operating the Aluk plant and launch the water pumping, Abdi said, noting  that a delegation of Autonomous Administration judges held meetings with the Ministry of Justice within the framework of the implementation of the January 29th agreement, and discussed the steps of integration.

He added that work is also continuing on "the opening of government institutions concerned with civil status and the issuance of passports in the coming period".

The Last Caravan

Today's batch included about 1,000 families who were distributed in shelter centers and cities in al-Hasakah province and the province of Jazira, according  to Deputy Governor of Al-Hasakah Ahmed Al-Hilali, who justified  the delay in the departure of this batch by the families' association with the academic exams and the agricultural harvest season, which prevented them from participating in the previous eight batches.

This return comes within the framework of the January 29 agreement between the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian government, which stipulated facilitating the safe return of displaced people and providing legal and administrative cover for transfers.

Security guarantees for returnees to Afrin and the restoration of their property 

A Kurdish source following up on the file of the Afri refugees told "Syrian News" that the return of the people of Afrin to their areas is based on security, legal and administrative guarantees, which were formulated within the framework of the January 29 agreement, with the aim of securing the returnees and ensuring the return of their properties such as houses, olive fields and economic facilities, explaining that the return with the application of a comprehensive legal settlement will eliminate all previous security consequences related to the period of displacement, including any prosecutions or security suspicions.

The executive clauses of the agreement stipulated the evacuation of all houses and properties seized during the years of displacement, and obliged the entities, groups and individuals who occupy them illegally to leave them and hand them over to their original owners upon their arrival, according to the source, provided that  specialized organizational committees in the management of the area will follow up on any real estate disputes that may arise after return, and address them administratively and legally quickly to ensure the stability of families and not expose them to any pressure or extortion.

The source continued his statement to "Syrian News" by saying:  "The guarantees include the removal of the hands of agricultural lands and olive fields that were subject to investment contracts or the seizure of local factions or entities during the years of displacement, while emphasizing the cancellation of all royalties and illegal taxes that were imposed on farmers, and the limitation of financial and tax transactions to the official departments of the state, in order to ensure the return of agricultural and economic activity to its owners without illegal interventions or deductions."