The presidential team discusses the return of displaced families in Afrin

The spokesman for the presidential team in charge of following up on the implementation of the January 29 agreement with the SDF said that the team held a meeting in the city of Afrin, north of Aleppo, to discuss ways to facilitate the return of more than a thousand displaced families from the eastern province residing there to their areas of origin, as part of efforts to organize the voluntary return of displaced people.

In a post on his Facebook page on Tuesday, spokesman Ahmed Al-Hilali explained that the meeting dealt with mechanisms to ensure the safe and orderly return of displaced people, in addition to discussing the obstacles to voluntary return, and listening to the demands and suffering of families residing in the area.

Al-Hilali pointed out that the number of displaced people from the Eastern Province in Afrin is estimated at about 1150 families, stressing the agreement to form a committee of displaced people to prepare lists of the names of those wishing to return, in preparation for taking the necessary measures to organize the process.

Intense movement

Efforts are continuing to implement the January agreement between the Syrian government and the SDF, and in this context, presidential envoy Ziad Al-Ayesh met last Saturday with the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazloum Abdi, to discuss files related to the integration of the SDF forces within the Syrian state institutions, especially the mechanisms for releasing batches of detainees, handing over prisons under the control of the SDF to the Syrian government, in addition to discussing ways to secure the return of displaced people to their areas, especially in the western countryside of Tal Abyad in Raqqa governorate and the city of Afrin. and areas in Al-Hasakah province.

The meeting also discussed the file of the "Revolutionary Youth" of the "SDF" and the need to control its behavior, in light of repeated complaints from the population about violations attributed to its members, in a step aimed at reducing tensions and enhancing societal stability in the region.

Complete return payments

On Saturday, April 4, a new batch of displaced people from the Afrin area in the northern countryside of Aleppo returned from the city of Qamishli towards their areas of origin, and included about 200 families transported by 80 private vehicles and 48 vehicles loaded with luggage, in addition to 14 buses dedicated to transporting civilians.

According to  official reports, the  returning families are mainly from the Raju and Afrin districts, and the convoy was accompanied by teams from the Syrian Civil Defense, as part of measures aimed at securing an orderly return and reducing risks during the movement.

This batch comes about three weeks after the launch of the first batch, which included about 400 families, and returned on March 9 to various areas in Afrin, including the areas of Sheikh Hadid, Jindires and Ma'batli, amid similar security and relief arrangements that accompanied the convoy until its arrival.

The file of the return of the displaced people in Afrin is one of the most prominent files being worked on within the January agreement, in light of the presence of thousands of families who have been displaced over the past years to various areas in northeastern Syria, especially in the provinces of al-Hasakah and Raqqa.

January Agreement and the Repatriation of Displaced Persons

These moves come within the implementation of the agreement signed last January between the Syrian government and the SDF, which includes clauses related to facilitating the return of displaced people to their areas of origin, in addition to administrative and security coordination in a number of areas in northeastern Syria.

According to the concerned authorities, the transfer of returning families is expected to continue in the coming days in successive batches, with the aim of completing the return of the largest possible number of IDPs, in light of efforts to accelerate the implementation of the terms of the agreement on the ground.

Despite these steps, several challenges still surround the return file, including the service and infrastructure conditions in the Afrin areas, in addition to the need to secure the basic necessities of life for the returnees, which places additional responsibilities on the supervisory authorities to ensure the stability of families after their arrival.

These convoys are an indication of relative progress in the implementation of the agreement, at a time when thousands of displaced families are waiting for their turn to return to their areas, within an organized mechanism that takes into account the security, service and humanitarian aspects.