23-24.01.26
15 Days Ceasefire Extension
Today, Saturday January 24, the original ceasefire officially ends. All day, people have been observing the situation tense to see what will happen next. Throughout the day various claims have been circulating, on the one hand that the ceasefire would be extended, on the other that the STG does not agree with an extension. Finally it was made official that the ceasefire is extended for 15 days to transfer ISIS prisoners out of Syria, and with pressure on AANES to integrate into the Syrian state.
So far, some 150 mid/high-level ISIS prisoners have been transferred by the US from AANES to Iraq. Bagdad urges European state to repatriate their nationals.
Despite, STG forces continues to violate the ceasefire agreement including further attacks and preparatory military movement, with heavy military build up around the city of Hasakah.
Dire Situation in Kobanê
Because of the siege of Kobanê there is a growing shortage of food, water and fuel in the city. Additionally, the city got covered in snow. Heyva Sor reports 5 children have died in these harsh conditions. Heyva sor submitted an urgent appeal to the UN and the AANES made a call for humanitarian aid as well. UN official Farhan Haq is in contact with the STG to potentially send humanitarian aid, the UN also stated it wants to do more assesments of the situation. Until now no humanitarian aid has come to Kobanê.
On the 23rd it was reported that an SDF convoy reached Kobanê, with no further details of size known. In Kobane region and elsewhere, many residents of NES were internally displaced and seek shelter in the cities still under AANES governance.
Attacks on Kurdish Demonstrations in Europe
At a demonstration in Antwerp 6 people were injured, of which 2 heavily, because of a knife attack, all are in the hospital. Kurdish sources report that the perpetrators were salafists. In Hannover, a young man departing a demonstration carrying a YPG flag too has been stabbed. Outside of direct attacks, there have been many provocations made by outsiders attempting to de-rail the Kurdish demonstrations across European cities.
International Support for Rojava
In many countries, in different shapes and forms, support for Rojava is growing. In addition to demonstrations and actions there are also many organizations and politicians voicing their concerns. Basque trade union ELA expressed their solidarity and denounced the European silence. Activists of Abya Yala came together in Bogota, discussed and planned a week of action. A Catalan MP made a speech in parliament to draw attention to the issue, an MP of the Uruguayan parliament also took this issue up in a speech. At least 10 members of the European Parliament from various countries raised the issue. Some Druze leaders have also expressed their support.
Evaluation:
We are very much on edge, not able to take a step back to evaluate all things that are happening. Still, we want to share some lines with you.
We won’t extend now on what happened the last week, but we will briefly look at the current situation. We are now presented with a 15 days extension of the ongoing ceasefire, allegedly to ensure safe transport of the ISIS fighters to secure prisons in Iraq. Authorities of the DAANES have been demanding solutions for those prisoners for almost a decade, and now that US saw how those prisons will end up in hands of the STG, they rushed to evacuate the prisoners to Iraq. US even made statements blaming the SDF of being unreliable, acusing them of abondoning the prison security in al-Hol when STG forces were already assaulting the ISIS prison of Raqqa. Hipocrisy is a word that is too small for what US is doing. But let’s not get lost on that and see what’s on the ground.
Kobane is now under a brutal siege, with an extreme cold winter that brought snow all over Rojava. Several kids died from cold, since there is no electricity and no gasoline to ignite the stoves. Many people of the surrounding villages are escaping the artillery fire and assaults of STG forces, looking for shelter in the city of Kobane. Many refugees are sleeping in schools and improvised shelters, at temperatures below 0. The extension of the ceasefire may seem like good news, but people of Kobane are in dire need of humanitarian corridors where suplies can enter.
Unfortunately, STG forces and Turkey will probably use this siege to open corridors, not to bring supplies, but to evacuate civilians out of Kobane. That would make it easier for military forces to attack and asediate the city. Kobane is the symbol of resistance, the breaking point where the victory against ISIS started. They are eager to erase it, as a way to break the will of the revolution. We will closely following the situation there.
In the Cizire canton, major tensions are on the military build-up around Hasakah. So far, STG took over most Arab-majority areas, while DAANES are still in the main Kurdish populated places. Hasakah is the province’s capital, and in many ways has been functioning as an administrative center for the region. Situated on the outskirts of the Kurdish majority areas, with also a big Arab population, this city is becoming the critical point of the ceasefire negotiations. STG forces are trying to cut the road between Hasakah and Qamishlo, controlling supply routes, but also cutting off the way for possible reinforcements.
Things don’t look good, but the spirit of resistance is high. How the next 15 days of ceasefire will develop will determine the future of NES. It can move towards negotiated integration or to total war, and we need to be ready for both.
Revolutionary greetings!