ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - There are new security forces in Afrin, but farmers say their olive trees are still being chopped down, turning once-thriving groves into barren land and cutting off a vital source of livelihood for thousands.
Mohammed Mohammed, the mukhtar (chieftain) of Metina village, estimated he has lost around 25 percent of his trees.
“We do not exist without the olive tree,” he told Rudaw.
“I have been tending to this tree for 50 years. This year, it was cut down, gone and dead. He [the cutter] will gain a small amount money, but he causes us great harm as a people in general,” Mohammed said with sorrow, referring to whoever had cut his tree.
According to Mohammed, his neighbours and surrounding villages are suffering from the same problem.
The olive trees are used either for heating or are sold.
A man seen cutting trees confirmed this to Rudaw, saying under the condition of anonymity that he sells the wood and uses it for heating.
Afrin is a Kurdish majority enclave in northwestern Syria. Its lush olive groves are a key part of its economy, producing tons of olives and olive oil every year. In 2018, Turkey and its Syrian mercenaries invaded the enclave and seized control. Members of the pro-Turkey armed groups have been accused of committing human rights violations against the Kurdish population by international monitors and the United Nations. They are also accused of cutting down olive trees.
Despite repeated complaints from residents, the relevant authorities have been unable to stop the damage to the olive groves or compensate those affected.
“Farmers would come to the Chamber of Agriculture, but it's a civil institution and couldn't play its role in this matter,” Abdulqadir Ismail from Afrin’s Chamber of Agriculture told Rudaw.
“They would go to other entities like the civil police, but the police would expel them or refer them to the court. Unfortunately, compensation is not within our responsibilities. There is no entity capable of providing it,” Ismail said.
The new Syrian government has deployed security forces to Afrin to restore order and facilitate the return of people who were displaced from their homes.
The head of the Damascus-affiliated forces in Afrin advised people who were victims of the Turkish-backed armed groups to file complaints. They should “resort to the judiciary to reclaim their rights, possessions and properties,” Abu Ahmed told Rudaw in an interview last week.