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"I have hope until I close my eyes"/ 90-year-old man from Zagorcan awaits his grandchildren from Syria

2026-02-16 12:55:00, Aktualitet CNA

"I have hope until I close my eyes"/ 90-year-old man from Zagorcan

Eva Dumani's return to Albania this Saturday from the infamous Al Hol camp has brought back to attention the long-standing drama of Albanian families who have been waiting for years for news from their relatives left in Syria.

Among them is the touching story of 90-year-old Dylber Shuli from Zagorcan, Pogradec, who has been living with anxiety, longing and hope for the return of his grandchildren for more than a decade.

For 12 years, the old man says he has lost regular contact with them. They used to talk often and call him "father strength," but for a year or two, communication has been cut off. He follows every news broadcast about the camps in Syria and hopes that one day his granddaughters will be among the returnees.

"I saw that day that he came out and last night, everything that was given had passed on foot, but all this work was done by Turkey, amen. I am 12 years old, I have been talking to the children for some time, they called me 'father of strength'. I have not spoken for 1 or 2 years. My eldest granddaughter got married and had a son, she is more busy there. I had a sick son here, I was three years old and they said to me 'father why did you hand him over to us?'. I told them 'father's daughter, this is my job'. When Rama came out then he said that they would take them out, but we would also protect them because they could kill them. Anyone who has become a grandfather and has grandchildren, let him understand for himself how I feel ," said the 90-year-old.

At the age of 90, Dylber says the only thing keeping him going is hope. He is seeking state help to return his grandchildren to Albania, just as, he says, he previously sought help for his son.

"I am 90 years old, I have hope until I close my eyes because they call me dad. They call me more than my children. How can I not have hope? We ask the state for help. My middle granddaughter calls me dad because she was inseparable from me. They want to return, but they are trapped in prison there," he said.

The old man says that he has constantly sent money to Syria, but he does not know if it has ever reached his relatives. He speaks of difficult conditions and illness, while emphasizing that his great-granddaughter has coped with the loss of her parents and raised her siblings in conditions of war.

"As for the conditions, you have seen it yourself and I have heard that they are difficult and I have sent money to them, but I do not know who is eating this money. I have always sent money there. I ask the state for help, just as I asked for the son who took me to Turkey, so I ask the state for this too. I no longer deal with papers, I cannot work for them, that is why I say so," the old man added.

He thanks his great-granddaughter, who, according to him, was orphaned at the age of 16 and remained strong in the face of tragedy.

"They were sick, that great-granddaughter told me. I thank that great-granddaughter because her father and mother were killed and she stayed brave. She was 16 years old and she stayed brave with her brothers, her son, she raised her sisters. I don't know how I'll support the one who comes here. The eldest is going to be 22, the youngest is 7 years old, the other 1-month-old granddaughter left. My people don't have wings there, there are 22 women in Syria, there are 8 men. I say Allah, God," said the 90-year-old.

Amidst prayer and hope, the 90-year-old expects that one day the door of his house will open and his grandchildren will return to their homeland. Until then, he says he will continue to seek help from institutions and believe that their return is still possible. /CNA