Update December 4 – Northern Syria Offensive

Highlights - As displaced families continue to pour in to NES, the DAANES estimates that numbers of IDPs will soon reach 120,000. - Critical shortages of essential supplies, food, water, medicines and accommodation for IDPs. - SNA commits…

Explainer: Kurdish Dialogue Conference in Rojava – Strengthening Kurdish Unity and Unifying Positions

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Tomorrow, the 26th of April, has been set as the official date for the convening of the “Kurdish National Conference” in North and East Syria. This comes after a postponement due to the current war situation in the region and disagreements…

Explainer: the SDF-Damascus agreement

On March 10th, the Syrian Caretaker Government (SCG) president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Commander-in-Chief, Mazloum Abdi, reached an agreement outlining NES-Damascus administrative, military and security integration,…

Explainer: Syria’s transitional constitution

  On March 13th, the Syrian Caretaker Government (SCG) published the proposed constitution of the transitional period. The contents of the constitution, plus its drafting process, have been met with a sharp backlash. The criticisms…

Turquía y el SNA atacan a periodistas y obstaculizan la recogida de información en el norte de Siria

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Manifestantes sostienen pancartas condenando los ataques de Turquía contra periodistas en el funeral de Nazim Dashtan y Cihan Bilgin, Qamishlo, 06.01.2025 [RIC]. La libertad de prensa bajo ataque Las amenazas y la violencia contra los…

Interview: “In talk there was a ceasefire. In practice we witnessed nothing like this” – YPJ Commander-in-Chief, Rohilat Afrin

As all eyes were on the HTS-led forces sweeping across Syria with Assad crumbling, the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) launched an attack on North and East Syria (NES), seizing Shehba and Manbij from the Syrian Democratic Forces…

Targeting of journalists and obstruction of information-gathering by Turkey and the SNA in northern Syria

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Protestors hold placards condemning Turkey's targeting of journalists at the funeral of Nazim Dashtan and Cihan Bilgin, Qamishlo, 06.01.2025 [RIC] Press freedom under attack Threats and violence against journalists – particularly those…

Interview: “The question lies in how much the HTS leaders are open for democracy” – Gherib Hasso, Democratic Union Party co-chair

Gherib Hasso - the new co-chair of the Democratic Union Party, one of the main political parties in North and East Syria - discusses options going forward for peace in Syria, prospects for dialogue with HTS and the issue of foreign forces in…

Translation: DAANES Initiative For Intra-Syrian Dialogue

On December 16th, the DAANES announced an initiative for intra-Syrian dialogue and expressed readiness for cooperation with the transitional government in Damascus. RIC's full translation of the 10-point proposal: "With the fall of…

Interview: “They were even firing indiscriminately” – IDP Hassan Hassan after the Turkish-backed SNA’s attack on Shehba

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Hassan Hassan is an English teacher and works with the NGO S.O.S. Afrin.  He is originally from Afrin and lived almost seven years in Shehba. His family and he were displaced to North and East Syria following the Turkish-backed Syrian National…

Interview: “We need dialogue. So that a better future can be built” – DAANES Executive Council co-chair on developments in Syria

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Evin Sweid, co-chair of the Executive Council of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) talks about the developments across Syria in the past two weeks, covering HTS, potential paths ahead in the country, Turkish…