ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – A fourth convoy of 500 displaced families from Sari Kani (Ras al-Ayn) is scheduled to return home in the coming days, local media reported on Wednesday, days after the third convoy departed, carrying hundreds of families home.

“Meetings are currently being held with displaced persons residing in the Washokani camp to finalize procedures for their return to the villages included in the third convoy's return," the Hawar news agency (ANHA) reported, citing Zahra Samou, an official in the Sari Kani Displaced Persons Committee.

Samou added that more than 500 families are scheduled to return as part of the fourth convoy to villages around Sari Kani, alongside villages near Tel Tamer and Zarkan.

She added that the date of the convoy’s departure depends on completing the census and securing transportation for the returnees, noting that should the arrangements be completed, the convoy would depart on Thursday. The official noted that the departure may be postponed if the procedures are not completed in a timely manner.

On Monday, the third convoy of 3,242 people from 511 displaced families headed towards their original areas in Sari Kani, according to ANHA.

The first convoy headed home on August 10 and included around 400 families, while the second returned on September 8 and consisted of 700 families.

The August convoy was confronted by a group of armed men shortly after arriving, leaving several people injured and leading to the suspension of the return process. The incident sparked several gatherings in the city, with Kurds expressing frustration over the development.

According to the Sari Kani Displaced Persons Committee in September, around 14,000 displaced families from Sari Kani, more than 40,000 individuals, live in three camps.

A key point in the January integration agreement between Kurdish-led forces and Damascus was the return of tens of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs), including Kurdish civilians who were displaced across Afrin, Sari Kani, and Gire Spi (Tal Abyad) between 2018 and 2019.

In March, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa agreed to form an official committee tasked with ensuring the return of IDPs from Afrin and Sari Kani to their places of origin.