Once evicted from Girê Spî, then from Raqqa: Kurdish families now fear being forced out of school
Around 30 families from Raqqa and Girê Spî sheltering in a school in Kobani are worried about being displaced again as the new school year approaches. Among them, years
RastinewsAround 30 families from Raqqa and Girê Spî who have taken shelter in a school in Kobani are worried about being displaced again as the new school year approaches. The refugees, who include Kurdish families forced to migrate for a second time within a few years, say, "We have nowhere else to go."
Şehit Azad School in Kobani has been housing families who migrated from Raqqa and Girê Spî for months. However, the new school year starting this month has brought new uncertainty for the roughly 30 families living in the school's classrooms.
Asya, from Girê Spî, is one of thousands of Kurds who were forced to leave the land where they were born and raised following the attacks of October 9, 2019.
After leaving Girê Spî, Asya lived in Raqqa for about seven years before being forced to migrate again, this time from Raqqa, on January 17, 2026. Reaching Kobani with her children in the middle of winter, Asya took shelter at Şehit Azad School.
Now, with schools reopening, she fears being displaced once again.
Asya said, "If necessary, we will set ourselves on fire, but we will not leave the school. Where would we take our children? When we first arrived, there was snow on the ground. My children slept on top of a tent for five days. We had neither blankets nor mattresses."
The situation of other families at the school is no different. Efra Muhammed, from Raqqa, said she lost her son six years ago and that she and her remaining son and daughter have nowhere to go.
Evaş Ali, from Manbij, described her experience, saying, "We have suffered a lot of oppression, hunger and fear. Enough is enough. Let them find us a place to live. We just want a shelter."
Ahmed Xoce, Co-Chair of the Social Affairs Board, said that students need to return to their classrooms when the school year begins, making it necessary to find alternative housing for the families staying at the school. Xoce noted that no notice has yet been given to the families to leave the school.
According to data, 6,050 displaced families currently live in and around Kobani. Of these, 3,000 are registered as originally from Raqqa and 3,050 from Girê Spî.
For most of the families, the main demand is not a new place to migrate to, but the ability to return home. However, return still does not appear possible due to homes destroyed in the war and the uncertainty in their home regions.
Source: Rûdaw