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Dear friends, sisters and comrades,
Today is the 24th of February and here is our daily update from Rojava from the heart of the women’s revolution.
Today we begin our updates with a few words about Kobane, which is still under siege.
On Monday, a delegation from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in collaboration with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC), reached the city to assess the situation of displaced persons in shelters.
Today marks the 36th day of the siege imposed by factions of the Syrian interim government. Access to food, medicine and fuel is still not possible for the people, and we must remember that this is not only the population of Kobane, but also more than 200,000 displaced persons who had been welcomed following attacks by the same factions on Tabqa, Raqqa and Aleppo.
Marwa Drea’i, co-chair of the economic council in Kobane, talks about the efforts being made to organise the disastrous situation and respond to the needs of the population. The condition of warehouses, mills, and bakeries is not good, and some factories have had to close because they lack the resources to produce and sell their goods.
She added that some bakeries have stopped operating since the beginning of the war, saying: ‘Before the war, we had 30 bakeries in the Euphrates Canton. Now only 10 bakeries are operating. We produce around 70 tonnes of bread daily in order to provide bread for everyone.’
A citizen, Ali Mishko, adds: “We are going through difficult conditions. With the arrival of the month of Ramadan, basic necessities are no longer available, and prices have risen significantly because of the siege.”
Mishko emphasised that their demand is to lift the siege, saying: ‘This is our only demand. We do not want assistance from any other party; we only want the siege on Kobani to be lifted. We remain steadfast and will confront all obstacles.’
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As we announced a few days ago, we can now provide some further news regarding the return of the displaced population to Afrin.
In recent days, as we reported, a delegation led by the Internal Security Forces (Asayish) and the Commander of the Internal Security Forces in al-Hasakah province visited Afrin, Aleppo, and Raqqa to facilitate the return of displaced Kurds to their homes.
Now, some important practical steps have been taken to organise this.
The security tour represents a practical step toward implementing the 29 January agreement and aims to return displaced Kurds to their homes in Afrin, Aleppo, and Raqqa. The outlined plans include:
– Organised convoys based on official lists.
– Removal of settlers and restoration of property to rightful owners.
– Continued work of joint committees to ensure safe return.
– Follow-up meetings to oversee implementation.
This is very good and important.
The video of the delegation arriving in Afrin, falling on the earth around Olive trees is giving a lot of hope to the people. Everybody in these days is talking about, how it will feel like to be back on their land, in their villages and homes.
Many children and adults have been dreaming of Afrin these last nights, showing around pictures of their villages and longing the day they will go back.
But also, as one older men told us yesterday, saying “We will go back to Afrin, but we will go with our heads high.” – The question of a safe return, a return in stability and dignity must be ensured.
Its now 8 years, since the the people of Afrin were forced to leave their homes, because of the turkish invasion. This has left a big wound, which was not able to heal, but deapened through more and more forced displacement, until the last one just a few weeks ago.
To possibility to return to Afrin is a possibility for big strenth, for the womens revolution, the kurdish peoples as well as the process in Syria.
We will keep you updated as soon as we hear any news about this.
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In these times when mainstream and pro-government media are pushing hard on narratives that fragment peoples, it is very important to listen to the real voices of society on this issue. Some elders from the Aziza and Omra tribes have in fact issued statements on this matter. In this land where existence is resistance, they recall how Kurdish identity and unity are a decisive factor for the security of peoples in this region.
Khadr al-Ramo, one of the elders of the Omra tribe, began by paying tribute to all the martyrs of freedom: they are, in fact, the foundation of Kurdish unity in the various regions. Remembering those who fought to the end for freedom means preserving the memory of the people; it is an act of great collective self-defence. The elder added that the parts of Kurdistan are interconnected and that any development or setback in one part affects the others, because the people are one, and so is their destiny. He stated that the strength of the Kurdish people lies in their ability to organise solidarity and that any division would lead to collective loss.
Regarding the Syrian issue, he reiterated that Syria must be built on genuine democratic foundations that safeguard the rights of all components without discrimination, including their right to use their languages and preserve their customs and culture. He believed that achieving justice and equality is the only way towards stability and progress in the country.
In this regard, we are awaiting the results of the meeting between the government and the autonomous administration on education, which obviously also includes the issue of mother tongue and the study of Jineoloji. Every meeting in the context of negotiations is a real struggle, and this should not be forgotten because the diplomatic plan must not overshadow the plan of meaning. In the photo published a few days ago about this meeting, the element of struggle was very clear: on one side of the room sat only men, those appointed by the Syrian transitional government, while on the other side sat a row of women from the autonomous administration, ready to bring the line of resistance to the negotiating table.
Diplomatic work in a revolutionary context is not merely formal, and these days it is more important than ever to conceive of it as part of the struggle. At this stage, people are resisting for their lives and at the same time fighting to see their rights guaranteed by the constitution. This is a central step on the path to building a democratic country that is united in its differences rather than homogenised.
Ismail said that they will continue the tradition of resistance and that they will once again follow the path taken during the Rojava revolution. He called on young people abroad to continue their actions, saying that in this way they will be able to protect the achievements made, and stressed that thanks to these actions, the attention of world public opinion has been drawn to the Kurdish resistance.
Berivan Ismail, co-chair of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) of the Euphrates Canton, said of the complexity of this situation: “There are many forces that do not want this agreement to succeed. (…) We have never separated from Syria and we will not do so. This danger does not only concern the Kurdish people, but also the Alevi and Druze peoples. In the past, massacres have been carried out against these peoples; now they want to do something similar to the Kurds.
However, we want the provisions of the agreement to be implemented and the rights of the Kurdish people to be enshrined as a fundamental article in the Syrian constitution. We have been resisting for 14 years. What we have dreamed of will come true. Our decision is to fight and continue to resist. We are Syrians and we belong to this land.”
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Finally, we would like to announce the release today of the first episode of a new podcast entitled Defending Life, produced by the Andrea Wolf Institute of the Jineoloji Academy in Rojava. It consists of five episodes that seek to better understand certain aspects of this war from the perspective of women, internationalists and jineoloji. You can find it on YouTube and on the jineoloji website.
Enjoy listening, and in the meantime, revolutionary greetings from Rojava
