Kurdish displacement in the Syrian war: movement and confinement in the interstices of a war-torn territory

This article examines the forced displacement of Kurdish populations during the Syrian conflict (2011–2024), analysing the territorial dynamics of enclaves and humanitarian corridors along the Syrian-Turkish border. While displacement has affected all Syrian communities, with over 14 million Syrians displaced since 2011, this study focuses specifically on Kurdish populations, whose displacement patterns reveal distinct dynamics of territorial fragmentation and demographic engineering. Based on extensive fieldwork conducted between 2014 and 2024, supplemented by remote data collection through 2025, including interviews with displaced persons and camp managers, this research documents how fragmented territories have created cyclical patterns of displacement affecting over 400,000 people. The study focuses on three key phases: the creation of Kurdish autonomous enclaves (2012–2016), the Turkish military operations Olive Branch and Peace Spring (2018–2019), and the recent displacement from Tell Rifaat (2024). Findings reveal how territorial fragmentation has transformed Kurdish displacement from temporary refuge-seeking into permanent demographic reconfiguration. The research demonstrates how the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) governed displaced populations despite lacking international recognition, creating institutional precarity. The study contributes to understanding how territorial control, forced mobility and demographic engineering intersect in contemporary conflict.