Sari Kaniye Displaced Persons Committee Temporarily Suspends Return Convoys

Welat TV – Erbil

The Sari Kaniye Displaced Persons Committee has announced the temporary suspension of preparations to send further return convoys, including the second convoy, following attacks on the first convoy of civilians returning to the city.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, the committee said the first convoy was subjected to acts of assault, threats, intimidation, and targeting of civilians, as well as property damage and gunfire in the vicinity of the returnees. It added that, according to testimonies and information received by the committee, most of the families who reached the city are living in a state of fear and facing direct threats.

The committee said the incidents “cannot be treated as a passing incident or an individual dispute,” holding the government in Damascus, the presidential team, and the security and military authorities tasked with protecting the returnees responsible for ensuring their safety and creating the necessary conditions for their return.

It stressed that the suspension of the convoys “does not constitute a retreat from the right to return" but rather a temporary measure aimed at protecting civilians until minimum security, legal, and practical guarantees are provided to protect them and their property.

The committee called for an independent and transparent investigation into the attacks; the identification and prosecution of those responsible; the establishment of safe corridors for civilians; clear guarantees for the protection of returnees; and a mechanism for organizing return convoys in coordination with the relevant authorities.

It also called for measures to end what it described as the “imposed settlement reality” in Sari Kaniye, halt practices aimed at changing the demographic composition of the area, and guarantee the return of the region’s original inhabitants to their homes and properties.

In conclusion, the committee stressed that the issue of Sari Kaniye is “a matter of return, rights, dignity, and justice,” reaffirming its commitment to working through peaceful, legal, and political means to secure the return of displaced people to their homes.