Latest news with #ENKS
Shafaq News
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Optimism among Syrian Kurds as PKK ends armed struggle
Shafaq News/ Kurdish political and military bodies in Syria deemed the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)'s decision to dissolve itself and end its armed struggle against Turkiye as a major political shift and a long-overdue embrace of peaceful resolution. Mazloum Abdi, Commander-in-Chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said on X, 'The PKK played a historic role in the region, and this step is commendable. It opens the door for a new era of peace and politics.' قرار حزب العمال الكردستاني بحل بنيته التنظيمية، إنهاء الكفاح المسلح والبدء باتباع السياسة الديمقراطية بناءً على نداء القائد عبد الله أوجلان محل تقدير. كان لحزب العمال الكردستاني دوراً تاريخياً في الشرق الأوسط خلال المرحلة المنصرمة. كلنا ثقة بأن هذه الخطوة ستمهد الطريق أمام… — Mazloum Abdî مظلوم عبدي (@MazloumAbdi) May 12, 2025 The Syrian Kurdish National Council (ENKS) issued a statement describing the PKK's dissolution as a 'positive and significant political transformation' that could enhance prospects for long-term stability in Turkiye and beyond. The council expressed hope that the decision would lead to a serious peace process in Turkiye, one that secures the Kurdish people's legitimate national rights within a democratic and constitutional framework. 'Supporting peaceful solutions has always been a principled position for us,' the statement said, recalling ENKS's early backing of calls by imprisoned PKK founder Abdullah Ocalan for dialogue. The council urged all parties, including the Turkish state, to engage constructively and seize what it called a 'historic moment' for genuine progress. The Democratic Union Party (PYD) — a key political force in northern Syria — praised Ocalan's recent initiative, which reportedly encouraged the PKK to disband and prioritize a peaceful, democratic resolution. The party called these developments 'historic steps' that deserve broad support. 'We will do our part to ensure the success of Ocalan's initiative,' the PYD stated, calling on regional and international actors to support peaceful efforts and urging Ankara to fulfill its responsibilities in the process. Meanwhile, the Progressive Kurdish Democratic Party in Syria described the PKK's decision as a 'historic turning point' that could de-escalate tensions in Turkiye, Iraq, and Syria. 'This marks the end of the revolutionary violence era. Rights are not secured by force alone but through wisdom, peaceful struggle, and mature political action,' the party said. Many Kurdish factions in Syria view this development as directly relevant to their own future. Turkiye has long justified military operations in areas like Afrin and Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) by citing the presence of PKK-affiliated groups, including the YPG and the SDF. Analysts believe that a formal end to the PKK's armed operations could help reduce Turkish military pressure in northern Syria and open space for diplomatic dialogue over the status and rights of Kurds in the region.
Rudaw Net
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
President Barzani praises Rojava's Kurdish conference
Also in Syria Kurds unite behind vision for decentralized Syria SDF chief says division of Syria not goal of pan-Kurdish conference Rojava's Kurdish conference begins US welcomes intra-Kurdish dialogue in Rojava A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani praised officials in northeast Syria (Rojava) for holding the first pan-Kurdish conference that took place on Saturday, saying he hopes it will strengthen Kurdish unity and solidarity. 'Praise and appreciation to Mr. Mazloum Abdi, ENKS [Kurdish National Council], and all the brothers and sisters who worked on conducting the Kurdish Unity and Solidarity Conference in Syria. I congratulate everyone on the success of the conference, which is a source of great joy and has pleased the Kurdish people everywhere,' a statement from the Presidency said. The conference brought together more than 400 Kurds from Syria, Kurdistan Region and Turkey at a time when Kurds are navigating their future in the new Syria. It resulted in an agreement between Kurdish political groups in Syria on a joint vision for a decentralized, democratic state that guarantees Kurdish rights and called for a national dialogue to reshape the country's future. 'I hope it will lead to strengthening Kurdish unity and solidarity, which is the only way to secure Kurdish rights in Syria,' Barzani said. Kurds, like other minorities in Syria, are concerned about the centralization of power and reliance on Islamic jurisprudence in the transitional constitution that has been adopted by the interim government in Damascus. Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa vowed to form an 'inclusive transitional government that would reflect Syria's diversity,' but has faced domestic and international criticism that he has marginalized minority communities.
Rudaw Net
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Displaced Kurds, Yazidis fear return to Afrin: Activist
Also in Interview Iraqi PM Sudani to lead major list in November elections, eyeing second term: PM advisor Rojava official says no more hostile actions from Turkey Iran, US both genuine about nuclear talks: Crisis Group Peshmerga park to be inaugurated in Paris before next Newroz: Deputy mayor A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurds and Yazidis displaced from the Kurdish city of Afrin in northwest Syria are afraid to return as militia members accused of atrocities control the area, a prominent American religious freedom advocate told Rudaw. 'There's no way they [Kurds and Yazidis] could stay if they were under these Islamists. They had to flee from the Syrian National Army [SNA] when they invaded Afrin. So all those IDPs are looking and saying, 'wait, we've done this before. It didn't go so well,'' Nadine Maenza, president of the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Secretariat and former chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), told Rudaw on April 23. Maenza highlighted that Syrian minorities are concerned about the centralized rule of Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa's government. In 2018, Turkey and its allied Syrian militias seized control of Afrin, a Kurdish enclave in northwest Syria. Thousands of Kurds fled, many moving to the nearby Shahba region, and families displaced from elsewhere in Syria moved into Afrin. 'The Syrian National Army, some of the very people that were committing the atrocities against the Yazidis, Kurds, Christians that were there and had to flee, are now, instead, he [Sharaa] couldn't get rid of them. It seems like they were put in positions, some government positions,' Maenza lamented. International organizations have recorded numerous human rights violations against Afrin's Kurdish population since 2018, including killings, kidnappings, looting of agricultural crops, cutting down olive trees, and imposing taxes on farmers. Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited Afrin in mid-February and met with locals, the majority of whom were Kurds. He pledged to remove armed groups and put an end to the violations, a representative from the Kurdish National Council (ENKS/KNC), who attended the meeting, told Rudaw. Maenza said dozens of Yazidi families remain unable to return to their homes in northwest Syria, citing fears of living under officials accused of 'committing atrocities', according to her meetings with Yazidis. 'Dozens of families can't go back because they wouldn't feel safe being governed by people that committed atrocities against them. It would be like saying, you know, ISIS is now going to be the governor of your, or the mayor of your city,' she said. Maenza stressed that locals must govern their own communities and that the SNA must not be in charge of Afrin. In March, ENKS Afrin local council head Ahmed Hassan told Rudaw that more than 600 settler families have left Afrin, while 400 Kurdish families have returned to their homes. The ENKS is a coalition of Kurdish political parties that is considered the main opposition in northeast Syria (Rojava). Kurds have been increasingly returning to Afrin since the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime. These Kurds had been displaced to other parts of Syria after Turkey-backed militia groups invaded the Kurdish-majority city. With the militants losing their grip on Afrin to Damascus-affiliated forces, many have been able to return. No official Syrian government decision has been made to support the return of Afrin's residents. Some families come back on their own, while others return through aid from the ENKS Maenza stressed the difficulty of removing Turkish-backed militias given Turkey's support for interim president Sharaa, despite some apparent differences between them, particularly regarding Afrin. She noted that under Assad, Yazidis were legally classified as Muslims, marginalizing their identity and leaving them vulnerable to being labeled as 'apostates'. 'Because their ID card says they're Muslims, but they're claiming to be [Yezidi]. So it just makes them all the more vulnerable to these extremists,' she said. Regarding the international community's reaction to Syria's potential centralization under Sunni dominance, Maenza believes that it will be unlikely for sanctions on the conflict-hit country to be lifted. 'If he's [Sharaa] going to push away the minorities and say, nope, we're Syrian Republic, everyone else move aside, only the Sunnis sit at the front table, everyone else at the back table, it's going to send all sorts of messages to the international community. I don't see them being willing to lift sanctions anytime soon in that scenario,'she said. Maenza stated it is in Syria's best interest to maintain sanctions with conditions, arguing that lifting them unconditionally would leave the government without justification for making reforms, risking backlash from its base. Several Western countries have warned that the lifting of some sanctions imposed on Assad's regime is conditional on the new authorities forming an inclusive government.
Shafaq News
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
President Barzani hails Kurdish solidarity effort in Syria
Shafaq News/ On Saturday, the Kurdish President Nechirvan Barzani praised the organizers of the Kurdish Unity and Solidarity Conference in Syria, calling it a key step toward strengthening Kurdish rights and solidarity. In a statement, Barzani congratulated Mazloum Abdi, the Kurdish National Council (ENKS), and other contributors, expressing hope that the initiative would reinforce Kurdish unity and protect Kurdish rights in Syria. The conference opened in Qamishli, Syria, with more than 400 participants from Kurdish parties in Syria, Iraq's Kurdistan Region, and Turkiye, as well as independent political and religious figures. Participants announced the formation of a joint Kurdish delegation to implement the agreed vision through dialogue with Damascus and other Syrian political groups.
Rudaw Net
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Rojava's intra-Kurdish conference an example for all Kurds: DEM Party member
Also in Syria Syria's FM attends UN Security Council meeting New Syrian flag raised at UN in New York Syrian FM thanks UK for lifting sanctions Damascus could learn from Rojava to build social cohesion: American activist A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A conference for Kurdish unity in northeast Syria (Rojava) will serve as an example for Kurds in other countries, said a Kurdish politician attending the event from Turkey. 'This conference is very necessary for Kurdish unity. In Leader Ocalan's call, it was also said that the Kurdish people must primarily establish their unity. With this conference, the first step in implementing the call will take place. The unity conference will be an example for other parts of Kurdistan, and we will also develop this example in the north,' Salihe Aydeniz told Hawar News Agency (ANHA) on Friday, referring to Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan. Aydeniz is attending the conference as part of a delegation from Turkey led by the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), which is mediating peace talks between the PKK and the Turkish state to end their 40-year conflict. Their delegation arrived in Rojava on Thursday to attend the conference scheduled for Saturday. Rojava's ruling Democratic Union Party (PYD) and opposition Kurdish National Council (ENKS/KNC) have agreed to hold the event in Qamishli to unify Kurdish ranks and collaborate on shaping the future of Kurds in Syria. A representative of Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani, Hamid Darbandi, will also attend, an ENKS spokesperson said on Friday. The delegation from Turkey was welcomed to Rojava by Elham Ahmed, co-chair of foreign relations department of northeast Syria. 'We express our thanks for their reception,' Keskin Bayindir, a delegation member, said in a post on X. Following the conference, the PYD and ENKS, which have feuded for years, are expected to form a joint delegation to present a unified list of Kurdish demands for the transitional Syrian government.
