Displaced Kurds in Al-Hasakah, a Kurdish-populated city in northeast Syria, are desperate for a stable life, hoping the latest ceasefire agreement reached between the Syrian interim government and the Kurdish Democratic Forces (SDF) will last longer and bring peace.
On Friday, the Syrian interim government and the SDF inked a comprehensive agreement to halt hostilities and launch a phased integration of military and administrative structures in northern Syria, according to statements released by both sides.
The latest deal follows weeks of intermittent clashes and fragile ceasefire arrangements in northern Syria, during which Damascus expanded its security presence in parts of Raqqa, Deir al-Zour, and Al-Hasakah.
Traffic in Al-Hasakah City is congested as thousands of displaced Kurdish families from Raqqa, Aleppo and surrounding areas are arriving in search of relative safety.
At a school converted into a temporary shelter which houses 37 Kurdish families, 52-year-old Mahmoud depicted years of repeated displacement with his children.
"For three years, we have been forced to flee again and again, moving from house to house, from tent to tent, from one school to another. We want peace and stability. We want to live like other people. I can't even afford a box of medicine. Let them see our sufferings. This is not a life. Our lives are not really lives at all," said Mahmoud, who is a truck driver from Raqqa province and a father of five.
Another displaced resident, Huan Ahmed, fled from a Kurdish neighborhood in Aleppo, fearing clashes in his hometown.
"We need help. We need mattresses. We have nothing. We sleep on thin pads on the floor. Our situation is terrible. It was freezing yesterday, and it is still cold today. We are human beings. There are children, women and sick people here. They can't even afford medicine, let alone food. My children and I are sitting in this room now, sleeping on this mat. We have only three blankets, and nothing else to keep us warm," said Huan Ahmed.
"Let everyone come and see us. We just want safety and stability. Look at our country. Look at us. We are a people without recognition. We long for peace. We hope an agreement can be reached. We want to live together in peace," said Mahmoud.
Displaced Kurds in northern Syria hope for lasting stability, peace
