AMUDA, Syria — On Aug. 17, between 5,000 and 8,000 Syrian Kurds fled their country following the reopening of the Pesh Khabur border crossing between Syria and Iraqi Kurdistan. On Aug. 21, the mass exodus prompted the de facto Syrian Kurdish authorities — the Kurdish Supreme Commission (KSC), which is dominated by the Democratic Union Party (PYD) — to implement a resolution issued in April to block emigration with the exception of certified medical reasons.

PYD officials claim the decision was taken to counter a plot aimed at changing the demographic balance of these regions at the expense of Kurds, while calling on locals to remain in Syria and exploit this unique chance to achieve Kurdish autonomy.

As far as many locals are concerned, however, the long-awaited dream of Kurdish autonomy is overwhelmed by poverty, while some refuse to accept the PYD's political hegemony and hope to leave before the group further consolidates its power.

In Amuda, everyone has a reason to leave, or a relative to reach somewhere abroad. "Emigration has always been rooted in the minds of people here," a housewife told Al-Monitor. "My husband has been working as a mechanic for so many years and, until now, he cannot afford to buy a car or open his own shop."