Listen here to our daily update:
Dear friends, comrades and sisters,
Today is Thursday, 5th February. Since the agreement between the SDF and the Syrian Transitional Government on January 29th, a relative calm has returned to the front lines. The first steps toward implementing the agreement have been taken. A delegation from the Syrian Ministry of the Interior visited Kobani, Hasakah, and Qamishli. Discussions are underway, and joint structures are being established with the Internal Security Forces (the Asayish) of the Autonomous Administration. All of this is taking place amidst great tension. Upon welcoming the delegation in Qamishli, the women of the Asayish demonstratively wore their hair in braids, their upright posture demonstrating their resistance to the misogynistic ideology of the jihadists.
Last night, the new governor of Hasakah was welcomed by the population. He was chosen by the Autonomous Administration and entered the city showing the peace-sign with both hands, accompanied by shouts of “Bijî Berxwedana Rojava!”
The siege of Kobani continues. For 17 days, hardly any food, medicine, water, or electricity have reached the city, where hundreds of thousands of people continue to face daily life under these difficult circumstances. We know that such situations are always hardest for women and mothers. They bear the burden of finding ways to provide for their families every single day. Their solidarity is what makes a society resilient in such a situation.
A delegation from Kobani met today with officials in Aleppo to discuss the implementation of the new agreement, which also includes lifting the siege. No practical steps have yet been taken.
The delegation of the Syrian Transitional Government in Qamishlo and Haseke is accompanied and monitored around the clock by the security forces of the self-administration. They are not allowed to leave the buildings they are in. They are not being given control of the cities. All the steps being taken these days are compromises. They contradict some of our principles, but they are steps in a long-term process of continuous resistance and, at the same time, necessities in the short term to avert a genocide against the Kurdish population. No one here is naive about this. Everyone is aware of who is friend and who is enemy, and that states and jihadist groups cannot be relied upon. But breaking out of the spiral of violence and the madness of the third World War requires diplomatic action combined with united social resistance. And this resistance continues.
In the front-line regions, people are cooking for the fighters stationed there. Displaced families are being housed and cared for. The organization Nudem has called for support for refugees with disabilities and special needs. The women from Mala Jin (the Women’s House) report on how their work continues, remaining accessible to women even in this situation and helping them find solutions to their problems. Cultural projects also play a vital role during this time. New songs and videos are released every few days, providing strength and giving meaning to the struggle society is waging for its values. All of this contributes to maintaining resilience and finding a collective way to cope with the difficulties of war.
Looking at the news, it’s not easy to highlight the perspective of women. A meeting took place between tribal leaders from Arab and Kurdish tribes, along with representatives of the Syrian delegation and the Autonomous Administration. Such a meeting is significant because the special warfare being waged here is specifically aimed at exacerbating division between the peoples. However, women are not visible in the pictures.
Meetings with French Foreign Minister Barrot also took place in Damascus today. Among others, he spoke with Mazlum Abdi. Tomorrow, Barrot is also scheduled to meet with Ilham Ahmed (spokesperson for the Autonomous Administration) and Rojhilat Afrin (commander-in-chief of the YPJ) in Erbil.
The French minister said about his trip through the Middle East: “For ten years, France has been fighting relentlessly and mercilessly against IS terrorists in Iraq and Syria. Continuing this fight is an absolute priority.” This can’t be taken very seriously.
The US military also recently published a report documenting five airstrikes against ISIS strongholds in Syria. Fifty ISIS members were reportedly killed or arrested in these attacks.
The past few weeks have once again clearly demonstrated that these Western states are driven by anything but a moral mission. The US itself has supported and allowed groups like ISIS to grow. This is part of their strategy to destabilize the Middle East and ultimately secure their own interests. If ISIS is attacked then it is only with symbolic actions, while at the same time Islamists with the same ideology are being installed as the new rulers of Syria. The US-led anti-ISIS coalition did nothing when, two weeks ago, HTS released masses of ISIS prisoners from prisons it had taken over. Now the UN is warning of a resurgence of IS and the associated local and international threat.
Instead, yesterday clearly revealed the true interests behind US policy in Syria: Tom Barrack, the US Special Envoy for Syria, announced that the Syrian Petrol Company has signed initial contracts with, among others, a US firm.
Finally, we want to share some news from outside Rojava. Today we received messages from our friends and comrades in Athens, from the self-organized neighborhood in squatted Prosfygika. Prosfygika is sometimes called “Little Rojava” because the community is built on similar principles to the revolution here and is also a place that serves as an example far beyond Athens and Greece, from which many learn.
The Greek state is currently preparing for a large-scale attack on the neighborhood with the aim of completely evicting it. This will not only force 400 people onto the streets but also tear apart a community that has proven for over ten years that it is possible to organize oneself in solidarity and resistance. It’s no surprise that this is happening now. The Third World War is escalating globally. And that means not only more open wars are being waged, but also attempts to annihilate any project that offers an alternative to the madness of capitalist modernity.
We, as Women Defend Rojava, stand with the community of squatted Prosfygika and send our greetings to our sisters and friends!
We call on you to continue uniting struggles for freedom, women’s liberation and self-determination worldwide!
With that we send greetings from Rojava
