Hundreds of families from Ras al-Ain (al-Hasakah governorate, northeastern Syria) who have been living in al-Hasakah city for years have begun returning to their areas, paving the way for more displaced people to return to their homes and villages after nearly seven years away from their city and properties.

The first group of returnees left for Ras al-Ain today, Monday, August 10. It included 410 families, with additional groups expected to follow in the coming days, bringing the number of families returning during the current phase to about 610, according to officials organizing the return.

The process comes after families from Ras al-Ain spent years in the Twahina and al-Talae camps on the outskirts of al-Hasakah city. They were displaced following fighting that erupted in October 2019 and ended with Turkey-backed Syrian National Army factions taking control of the city and large areas of its countryside.

Seven Years in the Camps

Families wishing to return began making their final preparations to leave the camps on Sunday, dismantling their tents and gathering luggage, furniture, and household items they had managed to keep throughout years of displacement before moving to Ras al-Ain.

For these families, the return marks the end of a long period of living in displacement. At the same time, it begins a new phase involving resettlement, repairing homes, and addressing the status of properties that remained outside their owners’ possession during the years of displacement.

Returnees who spoke to Enab Baladi said the years of displacement had deeply affected their lives, particularly because some children were born or spent most of their childhoods in the camps and have little real knowledge of the city their parents come from.

Mohammad al-Jassem, one of the returnees, told Enab Baladi that after years of suffering and displacement, the families are “returning to their homes today,” expressing hope that the return would take place “safely and with dignity.”

He added that returning, for the families, is not simply a move from one place to another, but an attempt to reclaim the lives interrupted by displacement. He said many families are waiting to reach their homes and see their condition after years of absence.

The returnees’ concerns come as the status of some homes and land remains unresolved. Al-Jassem said a number of homes and agricultural plots are still “seized,” adding that the Syrian government has promised to vacate them and return them to their owners.

Property is one of the main issues facing returnees. Returning involves not only securing the route and reaching the city, but also families’ ability to recover their homes, land, and sources of livelihood, particularly as some residents depend on agriculture, which was a primary source of income before their displacement.

Children Who Never Knew Ras al-Ain

Over the past seven years, some children from the displaced families grew up in the camps, far from the city their parents come from.

Wael Abdul Hamid, one of the returnees, told Enab Baladi, “Our young children grew up here over the past seven years. They opened their eyes to the camps and know nothing about the city of Ras al-Ain.”

This reflects one of the most significant long-term effects of displacement. For children who were very young when their families left Ras al-Ain, the years spent in the camps became a fundamental part of their memories and daily lives, while for some, the city remained a place they heard about from their parents more than one they had experienced themselves.

Returning families hope the move will allow them to rebuild stable lives for their children, whether by returning to schools in their areas or resuming family and social life disrupted during the years of displacement.

However, moving from the camp to the city does not mean that all the effects of displacement will end. Returning families face challenges related to housing, access to services, repairing damaged homes, recovering property, and rebuilding sources of income harmed during their years away from the area.

“A Harsh Life”

Sharifa Mohammad Ali, one of the returnees, spoke about the conditions families experienced during their displacement, saying that “life in the camps is harsh” and that she does not wish “for any Syrian to remain in the camps, but for all displaced people to return to their homes.”

Her testimony reflects a broad desire among families to end years of living in camps, particularly for those whose return to their areas has become possible from a security and logistical standpoint.

The families do not necessarily view returning as an easy choice. Some are leaving a place where they lived for many years for an area whose conditions they do not fully know, while others are waiting to make sure they can recover their homes and properties before deciding to return.

Returnees say their main demand is for the return to take place safely and with dignity, alongside measures to resolve the status of homes and land that have not been restored to their owners, allowing families to rebuild their lives rather than move from one form of displacement to another.

610 Families to Return in Stages

Mahmoud Jamil, spokesperson for the Ras al-Ain Displaced Persons Committee, told Enab Baladi that the committee views the families’ return as the “fruit” of years of demands for a safe and dignified return.

He added that the committee had called over recent years for the necessary conditions to be established for residents to return to their areas. He said the current process is being carried out in coordination with the presidential team and forces present in the area, and that logistical and security measures related to the return have been put in place.

Jamil said the committee “will not leave a displaced person outside their area,” noting that there is a plan to organize additional convoys in the coming period. He expects the return of Ras al-Ain residents living in al-Hasakah to be completed within about two months.

According to Jamil, the condition of homes varies from one area to another. Some houses are “completely or partially destroyed,” while other homes are currently occupied by families.

He said the Syrian government had pledged to vacate homes occupied by other residents in preparation for the return of their owners.

The issue stands out as one of the main files accompanying the return of displaced people, since families cannot effectively resettle in their areas without first addressing the status of their properties.

Return Part of Broader Arrangements in al-Hasakah

The return of Ras al-Ain residents comes amid field and administrative changes that al-Hasakah governorate witnessed during 2026.

At the beginning of the year, the map of control in the governorate changed as the Syrian army took control of southern and eastern rural areas and parts of the western countryside, while the Syrian Democratic Forces, SDF, withdrew to major cities, including al-Hasakah and al-Qamishli.

This created a new situation in the governorate, coinciding with a January 29 agreement between the Syrian government and the SDF that stipulated beginning the integration of military, security, and public service institutions in the governorate into state structures and ministries.

The integration process began gradually in February and, alongside military and security matters and public service institutions, included arrangements related to residents and displaced people.

Facilitating the return of displaced people to their areas was among the issues accompanying the new arrangements. Over the past period, eight groups of Afrin residents who had been living in al-Hasakah were transported as part of arrangements to return residents to their areas.

In recent weeks, efforts have also focused on Ras al-Ain residents living in al-Hasakah, alongside arrangements concerning al-Hasakah residents currently living in Ras al-Ain.

In this context, the return of Ras al-Ain families has a reciprocal dimension. The issue is not limited to Ras al-Ain residents returning from al-Hasakah, but is also linked to al-Hasakah residents living in Ras al-Ain returning to their own areas, opening the way for residents to return to their areas of origin after years of displacement.

Beginning of a Wider Return

The current group, consisting of 410 families, is the first step in a process expected to include about 610 families during the current phase, according to the Ras al-Ain Displaced Persons Committee.

The committee hopes to expand the process in the coming weeks, while families who have begun returning stress that ending displacement is not achieved simply by reaching the city. It also requires housing and services, the recovery of property, and suitable conditions for children to return to education and normal life.

For the returnees, going home after seven years represents a new test of families’ ability to rebuild their lives amid the damage and changes left by years of war and displacement.

Mohammad al-Jassem said families are waiting for the return to be safe and dignified, while Wael Abdul Hamid hopes children who grew up in the camps will be able to discover their city and live there, rather than Ras al-Ain remaining for them merely a place associated with their parents’ memories.

Sharifa Mohammad Ali, meanwhile, sees ending life in the camps as a goal that extends beyond Ras al-Ain families, saying that the return of displaced people to their areas is the solution awaited by families that have spent years away from their homes.

With the first convoy beginning its return, the process of returning displaced people has moved from the planning stage to actual implementation. Its success, however, remains tied to resolving issues accumulated over years of displacement, foremost among them the safety of returnees, the status of homes and land, access to services, and families’ ability to restore their lives and livelihoods in their areas of origin.