EBÎR MUHAMED

 Qamishlo- Syria's twelve years of conflict, the oppression of the Syrian government, the ongoing Turkish attacks and the existence of ISIS cause many humanitarian crises in North and East Syria. Hundreds of people have been missing in North and East Syria for years due to the attacks of ISIS and the Turkish state.

The Missing Persons Committee (MPC) was established in August 2023 by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) to report and identify missing persons in North and East Syria. NuJINHA spoke to Nisrîn Hisên, lawyer and a member of the MPC, about their activities.

 MPC established committees in seven cities

The MPC established committees in Qamishlo, Hasakah, Der ez-Zor, Kobanê, Raqqa, Manbij and Shahba to set up a database of missing persons. “The committees in Qamishlo, Raqqa and Hasakah have meetings with families on Saturday and Sunday to identify the missing persons,” Nisrîn Hisên told us.

‘Cooperation is needed to find the missing persons’

Many people went missing in the Syrian civil war that has lasted for 12 years, Nisrîn Hisên emphasized. “During wars, civilians are subjected to all kinds of violations. Many people have gone missing in North and East Syria due to the attacks of ISIS and the Turkish state. We ask families to fill out forms to identify the missing persons. We have been working on setting up a database of missing persons. Cooperation is needed to find the missing persons.”

‘My son has been missing for 10 years’

Heda Ehmed Başa lives in the Hamedan village of Tell Hamis, a sub district of Qamishlo. In 2014, her 30-year-old son, Hewas Necim, went missing near the M4 Highway while fighting ISIS. She is now a member of the MPC. “My son has been missing for 10 years. I became a member of the committee because I want to learn what happened to my son. I want to learn if he is alive or dead. There are hundreds of families looking for their loved ones. Hundreds of men, women and children are missing in North and East Syria.”

On February 10, the committee established in Qamishlo began to have meetings with the families of the missing. Until now, about 40 families in Qamishlo have reported the missing of their loved ones.