28-12-24
# NES
Democratic Nation for Syria
Future Syria Party cautioned against replacing Iranian and Russian influence in Syria with Turkish dominance. He affirmed that the Democratic Nation Project has demonstrated success in the regions of NE Syria by showcasing the possibility of cooperation among all societal components, religions, and beliefs.
Car bomb in Manbij
In an official statement, the Manbij Military Council of the SDF, strongly rejected allegations linking their forces to the car bomb attack.
Tensions in Aleppo kurdish neighbourhoods
Yesterday 2 armed men of SNA tried to enter the kurdish neighbourhood Ashrafiyeh in Aleppo and were killed by YPG guards. This morning a vehicle of the SNA threw a small bomb at the YPG checkpoint. YPG opened fire on the vehicle.
Now: HTS is deploying military units around the Kurdish neighbourhoods, no further escalation for now.
# Syria
SNA crimes
SNA militias beheaded a kurdish refugee that was trying to flee the occupied area of Til Rifaat. Videos of SNA fighters calling for extermination of Alawites and kurds are circulating on social networks.
HTS arrests in Deir ez-Zor
The HTS Military forces arrested a group of people in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor for “stealing a grain centre”. Local residents accused them of committing violations even before the regime collapsed. Allegedly, the HTS security campaign also targeted drug dealing networks affiliated with the former regime.
UN envoy in Syria
UN envoy in Syria Geir Pedersen stated concerns for the violent escalations of last days calling to stop all acts of violence and for free and fair elections after the transition proces after about three months.
# Foreign Policy
Assad family members detained in Lebanon
Lebanese authorities arrested members of the Assad family at Beirut International Airport yesterday attempting to travel with forged passports.
Also, 70 officers from Assad regime were handed over to HTS by Lebanon.
Visit to Abdullah Ocalan
Members of the DEM party visited Abdullah Ocalan at Imrali prison island. Details and assessments of this meeting will be shared with press and public tomorrow.
# Analysis
On ethnic minorities unrest and the need of a ‘democratic nation’ project
After a month since the offensive of HTS started, we have now better ground to evaluate what is going on in Syria. The unexpected collapse of al-Assad regime was followed by celebrations and hopefull dreams of an easy and bloodless transition in Syria. But this is something we only see in movies and history books. In real life most revolutions are followed by periods of instability and warlordism, where different factions struggle to impose their hegemony.
The recent protests of Christians, as well as the uprisings of Alawites, are complex events that are getting polarized in social networks. These two social groups had certain priviledges during the regime of al-Assad, priviledges that were partly established with the old French colonial rule, favoring them over sunni arabs or kurds. But those priviledges are also limited to some higher classes, and not all members of those groups were aligned with the regime.
Those uprisings are not simply “uncontrolled regime/Iran/Israel elements/agents” as HTS like to calim, it is also a reaction to the attacks of “uncontroled HTS elements”, like the fire on the christmas tree in Hama and the dessecration of the grave of an important Alawite scholar. Those attacks are manifestations of ethnic grudges that many sunni arabs may share, but when ethnic simplifications like this are used to call for ethnic cleansing, things can very easily spiral out of control.
Many Alawites and Christians had power positions in the regime, but many sunni arabs too. Kurds know very well what it means to be part of a secondary class, to be at the bottom of the social pyramid. That’s why it has been so important for the DAANES to develop respectful and inclusive methods for everyone, allowing autonomy and self-organization to all different social groups. HTS sectarian visions, with islamic fundamentalism as a ground to build a fake national unity, pose serious threats to the diversity of Syria.
The DAANES is already making calls to stop the attacks against Alawite people, to put an end to the sectarian violence, to build the nation under a base of diversity and respect for the other. The call for a “democratic nation project” should be understood in that sense, as part of a wider project for democratic confederalism, questioning old patterns of tribalism, patriarchy and nation-state. It is a call to continue the revolution all around Syria and beyond.
Revolutionary greetings!