Syrian refugees between a Turkish post-quake rock and a war-torn homeland

Two months after the devastating 7.8- and 7.5-magnititude earthquakes struck southern Turkey and northwestern Syria and claimed the lives of 50,000 people, some affected Syrian people in Turkey are on the fence between staying homeless in Turkey and returning back home.

Some Syrian refugees who were afflicted by the quakes and obtained three-month permits to voluntarily visit Syria spoke to Jusoor Post about their suffering due to the Turkish authorities’ discrimination against them when it comes to the post-quake humanitarian aid, while at the same time they are not able to stay in their home country that has been torn by 12 years of war.

Syrian refugees accused the Turkish authorities of discrimination when it comes to aid distribution and providing accommodation, as Ankara prioritizes Turkish citizens affected by the quake over Syrians refugees.

“The decision is difficult about whether to stay here [in Syria] or go back [to Turkey], but I still have time. I have a license for three months, during which I will see if I will stay here or not. We hoped that we would have homes here [in Syria], but unfortunately, they have been under the control of the regime for three years,” Omar, a 26-year-old Syrian man, told Jusoor Post.

Omar said that he and other Syrians who temporarily returned home do not know where to live because most of the houses collapsed, adding that “even a house that is not demolished is not fit for habitation because the furniture has been stolen and the electricity wires have been removed.”

Although Omar dreams of a decent life in a suitable house and accommodation, he is still afraid of living in a building after the earthquake. “We are now living in a tent, and it is better for us than a palace after the earthquake. If they give me a palace to live in, I will tell them that it is impossible,” he said.

Omar and his 19 family members were affected after their houses collapsed in Antakya, one of the ten quake-stricken cities in southern Turkey. 

However, unlike Turkey, Syria is filled with chaos, problems and more security checkpoints, besides conflicting armed factions, Omar said, adding, “I did not visit Syria for five years but wanted to see my brother, aunt, cousins and our neighbors,” especially after 200 people of his village were killed in the quake.

“If I found a source of living and a job in Syria, I can stay here to get married, because also I cannot bear to speak in Turkish after what we experienced from them due to the quake crisis,” he continued.

As of March 1, about 40,000 Syrian refuges left the quake-hit cities in Turkey and crossed four border crossings (Bab El Hawa, Bab Al Salam, Tell Abyad, and Jarabulus) into opposition-controlled Northwest Syria, Reuters reported.

For 19-year-old Nour, the post-quake situation in Turkey was difficult, and this motivated her to return to Syria for a visit. 

Speaking about how the Turkish authorities practice discrimination, Nour, who was pulled out from under rubble after the earthquake along with her five sisters, said that her family was ordered several times by Turkish authorities to remove their tent so that they could utilize the place, but the family later found that it was given to Turkish or other people.

“If we set up a tent, a week later the Turkish authorities order us to remove it and move to another place. Everywhere, the tent is removed under the pretext of setting up affairs in these areas,” she said, noting that she decided to visit Syria to see her closest relative, although the security situation there is also difficult.

“In Turkey, there are no bathrooms […] and there is no water for bathing, but the situation here in Syria in terms of finding a place to shelter and shower is relatively better,” she continued.

“In Turkey we bought tents, and we made tents from our houses that collapsed, but when we set up the tent, they tell us to leave the place and move to another place. Also, if we ask the authorities about the tents, they tell us that there are none, even though they give the tents to the Turks. Imagine, even after the earthquake, we find racism,” she said.

Nour added that although the aid organization has a banner that reads “For our Syrian brothers and sisters,” she and other Syrians are being told that no aid is available, although it is given to Turks.

“I prefer to be here rather than suffer from the racism I saw in Turkey. Instead of giving us food aid, I prefer that they give us a place to live that has a bathroom instead of tents, so we can cook food,” she said.