ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An estimated 150,000 to 175,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) have sought refuge in Kurdish cities across northeast Syria (Rojava) following weeks of insecurity and displacement, according to the Kurdish Red Crescent in Rojava.
Dilgash Issa, co-chair of the Crescent, told Rudaw in Qamishli on Thursday that the final figures are still being compiled. “There has been much discussion regarding the exact numbers, but it is estimated to be between 150,000 and 175,000 people,” he said, adding that “the final results will be released this coming Sunday.”
The wave of displacement was triggered by a mid-January offensive led by the Syrian Arab Army and allied armed groups against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in areas controlled by the Kurdish-led forces across eastern Aleppo, Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, and Hasaka provinces.
The SDF, which serves as the de facto military force in Rojava and key ally of the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, had previously liberated these areas and maintained control to prevent an ISIS resurgence.
On Friday, the SDF and Damascus announced that they had reached an internationally brokered agreement to end hostilities and integrate Rojava’s civil and military institutions, including the Kurdish-led forces, under Syrian state control. Despite this, many families have yet to return home.
Issa noted that cold weather and emergency movements make tracking displaced people difficult. “Their locations shift frequently. Therefore, we don’t have an exact figure in hand yet,” he said.
“They are from cities across Rojava, from [al-Malikiyah] Derik to al-Darbasiyah and Hasaka. There are also people from Afrin who were displaced to Shahba in 2018,” he detailed.
The Kurdish Red Crescent co-chair further explained that displacement had intensified following the fall of longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad’s regime. “When the Assad regime fell a year and a half ago - on December 8, [2024] - people were displaced from Tabqa, Raqqa, and cities throughout northeast Syria.”
Issa said renewed tensions in recent weeks have forced further displacements. “Following the recent events in [Ashrafiyeh and] Sheikh Maqsoud since [January] 6 and continuing to today, people from Raqqa, Tabqa, and Sheikh Maqsoud have moved here.