How Eva Dumani was repatriated from Syria, the concern of Turkish intelligence and the green light from Erdogan's presidency

2026-02-15 20:32:51Aktualitet SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Eve's return home

Eva and Endri Dumani suffered together. They grew up together in the camps of Syria, and since Saturday, the sister and brother have been together in Albania in their mother's arms.

The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs called Eva's arrival in Albania a long-term operation carried out with the support of partners.

Sources aware of her return to Albania told Top Channel journalist Muhamed Veliu the complexity of this issue, both in terms of diplomacy and the involvement of actors from Albanian and Turkish intelligence agencies.

Eva Dumani, after 12 years in Syria, of which 6 in the Al Houl camp, was able to leave this camp in December 2024 when the Syrian opposition forces overthrew the Assad regime. On the evening of February 4, she was brought to the city of Adana on the border with Syria. She was received there by her uncle Xhetan Ndregjoni, while the Turkish security authorities were notified by Albanian partners, aware of her arrival.

The same sources have indicated that Eva Dumani and uncle Xhetan were kept under surveillance by Turkish intelligence for several days to ascertain what they would do during their stay in Turkish territory. As Xhetan Ndregjoni confirmed the day before in an interview for Top Channel, Eva's niece was interviewed in detail by Turkish law enforcement agencies.

Meanwhile, the Albanian Embassy in Ankara worked through diplomatic channels with the Turkish authorities on the procedure for her travel to Albania. Sources aware of her return to Albania claimed that it was a highly sensitive case, even reaching the Turkish presidency, who, when they learned that everything was OK in terms of security, gave the green light for Eva to leave Turkey.

Albania has carried out 4 repatriation operations of women and children from Syria in the last 6 years. The most recent one was in May 2022 when the Albanian government, represented by the Albanian anti-terrorist force, signed an agreement with local Kurdish authorities enabling the return of 13 Albanian women and children.

But even in this case, Eva Dumani, along with several other Albanian women, did not want to return. Raised prematurely amidst suffering in Syria, orphaned by her brother after her father Shkëlzeni was killed and then her grandmother died there, the Albanian teenager compiled an extremely important list with the names of Albanian women and children in the hellish Al Hol camp. A list that she sent to her uncle and was then made available to the state police in order to have an even clearer picture of Albanian citizens in Syria.

Top Channel has learned that currently in Syria there are still 22 women and children, as well as 8 Albanian men, who are being held in prison./TCH


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