Qamishli school shelters displaced families amid shifting control in northeast Syria

Situation in Qamishli

A vacant school in Qamishli has become a makeshift shelter for dozens of displaced people after public schools were repurposed in January, hosting families who fled as Syrian government forces advanced near Afrin. The upheaval follows the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad in late 2024 and subsequent clashes; a U.S.-brokered ceasefire paused the fighting but key terms — including Syrian control of borders, security and oil fields in exchange for guarantees of Kurdish rights — have not been fully implemented. Many residents here came from the Tabqa displacement camp and have been uprooted multiple times, with some families among the roughly 800 who returned to Afrin under the ceasefire while others remain in Qamishli.

Living conditions at the school are harsh: classrooms lack fuel for cooking and heating, forcing residents to burn clothing or gather scraps for warmth, and children show signs of trauma from repeated displacement and violence. Personal stories highlight the human toll — a former shopkeeper who fled with two families in a single pickup, and parents who lost contact with, then received the body of, their 15‑year‑old daughter after she joined Kurdish fighters. Many Kurds express feelings of betrayal toward the U.S., saying Washington effectively green-lit the advance by declaring it no longer needed Kurdish forces against ISIS. The scene in Qamishli underscores ongoing instability and unfulfilled ceasefire promises in the region, as reported by NPR

This story has also been reported by: Enab Baladi