Wîsal Hesen approached us immediately when she saw our camera and said: “Maybe with your camera my mother will see me and have a little peace, she is at the end of her life.”

Like thousands of others, Wîsal Hesen fled ISIS gangs and sought refuge with the SDF. Over a million people have taken to the roads as migrants in the Syria crisis. These migrant families have been thrown to the ends of the earth. But the families who are under ISIS blockade have it worse. Because although they have the technology, ISIS gangs banned televisions and telephones. Wîsal Hesen’s mother migrated to Turkey beforehand, and Wîsal doesn’t have any information on her. A teary-eyed woman, Wîsal said: “Mother, I hope you will see me, I reached the safe zones unharmed, I’m not in danger any more.”

The gangs had cut off communications with the outside world under their blockade. Wîsal said: “Until we came here, we were always running from one place to the next. The gangs should hear me now! They didn’t allow us to speak. The gangs beat everybody up, including women and the elderly.”

 Wîsal is staying on the open land along with her 3 children and thousands of migrants, and she is waiting for aid. The Raqqa Civilian Assembly distributes water and bread, but even these efforts are not sufficient, as there are very limited resources. There are many sick people among the migrants, and the situation is a total humanitarian tragedy. Wîsal and her children escaped the gangs but they continue to be witnesses to and victims of this tragedy.