09-10/Jan/2025
# NES
Vigil on Tishreen dam
The residents and activists that traveled to Tishreen started a vigil at the Dam, where hundreds are keeping watch with great courage. The convoy was bombed before their arrival, killing at least 5 people and injuring 15. The demonstrators stressed that they would stand against against the invaders alongside with their children fighting in SDF.
France and US border security
Ilham Ahmad, co-chair of the Foreign Relations Department in the DAANES, said on Wednesday that US and France could secure the entire border area in northern Syria.
“As soon as France has convinced Turkey to accept its presence on the border, then we can start the peace process,” Ahmed said.
Repatriation of Iraqi families
A total of 192 Iraqi families (715 individuals) were brought from al-Hol camp back to Iraq. Al-Hol camp houses ~54,000 individuals, including ~20,000 Iraqis, most of whom are women and children. Al-Hol houses IDPs and families of ISIS fighters.
Germany talks with SDF
Germany’s special envoy to Syria, Stefan Schneck, discussed the future of the Kurdish population in Syria during a phone call with SDF Commander-in-Chief, Mazloum Abdi.
Both he and Abdi discussed the possibility of integrating Kurdish rights into Syria’s national framework. He emphasized that the new Syrian administration had already acknowledged the importance of this issue.
# Syria
Security chaos in Manbij
Residents of Manbij have voiced growing concerns over escalating security chaos and widespread thefts attributed to the Turkish-backed SNA. Residents are being terrorized, and their property is being looted.
Demilitarisation of the South
The Military Operations Command of HTS issued a directive requiring all weapon holders in Quneitra’s countryside (southern Syria), both military and civilian, to surrender their weapons within 24 hours. Southern Quneitra is witnessing an incursion by the Israeli forces.
Violence against Alawites
Thousands of Alawites mourned three civilians killed by foreign islamists of the country’s new authorities. Since Assad’s ouster, violence against Alawites, long associated with his clan, has soared, with the media “al monitor” recording at least 148 killings.
Israels invasion
Israeli forces detained a Syrian lawyer and a French journalist in Quneitra province, as well as a team of journalists from the Jumhuriya.net news website, confiscating cameras and other equipment.
Syrian Ambassador to the UN, Qusai al-Dahak, called for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from recently occupied areas in Syria and an end to their aggressive actions against its people.
Turkeys control over Afrin
A Turkish-appointed governor in Afrin region reportedly refused to transfer the management of local councils to a delegation from HTS government, arguing that the matter would be discussed with the new Syrian administration at a later date.
Until then, the management of Afrin would remain under Turkey’s direct oversight.
# Foreign Policy
Turkey arrests kurdish politicians
The co-mayors of Akdeniz and 4 more representatives of the DEM party have been arrested. The accusations had not been reported since are declared secret, the lawyers are not allowed to get in contact with the arrested for at least 24h.
Iran blames Russia
Iranian General Behrouz Ethbati accuses Russia of lying to Tehran about bombing Syrian rebels, saying that “its planes were targeting the desert instead of the opposition forces.” Ethbati blamed Russia for the fall of Bashar al-Assad, explaining that Russian forces did not attack the opposition and disabled radars during the raids.
# Analysis
The civilian vigil on Tishreen dam is an example of the readiness of the people in north-east Syria to defend their land, using a wide diversity of tactics. For several years, militants of northern Syria have been discussing the importance of a resistance inspired on the ideas of “revolutionary people’s war”. The ongoing protest in Tishreen, together with the other vigils taking place in the Syrian-Turkish border next to the cities of Qamishlo and Kobane, are an example of civil resistance against occupation. Those actions don’t go in contradiction with the military defense of SDF, instead they complement each other, combining diverse forms of resistance towards a common aim.
The International Coalition is also making some interesting steps, with French army starting to deploy alongside US forces in the border with Turkey and other locations. France has been an important partner of the International Coalition since the beginning, and this is probably related to the fears of French State to foreign ISIS fighters, many of them with French nationality. If HTS or Turkey take control of the prisons currently under control of SDF, that hold thousands of ISIS fighters captive, those prisoners could find their way back to France and endanger the security of many European countries. This is also a preventive move of France, taking precautions before Donald Trump, who declared his intentions to withdraw US soldiers from Syria, takes over the white house.
The Turkish appointed governor of Afrin refused the call of HTS to transfer the management over the local council to an HTS delegation. This reflects how, even if Turkey and HTS are cooperating in many areas, they still have conflicts an power struggles. Those kind of contradictions can evolve to more bitter relations if Turkey refuse to give up control of the regions they occupied in Syria. Contradictions in the relations between Iran and Russia are also surfscing, with declarations of an Iranian commander blaming Russia for not really fighting against the rebel offensive that sparked the collapse of the Regime.
All authoritarian powers, all centralized governments, have always one aim: to accumulate more power. This brings them to cooperate with each other when they can benefit from it, but also to constantly compete and clash against each other. Exploiting these contradictions is necessary to undermine their hegemony. Pushing them to clash on each other can create opportunities for revolutionary forces, but only when those forces are well organized in strong revolutionary movements can really seize those opportunities and develop alternative models against capitalism modernity.
Revolutionary greetings!