We already posted the latest agreement between DAANES and STG (posted below). Currently it is just a paper, each time agreements with the STG have been made, they have not been followed by the STG. But if the implementation of it will take place in the upcoming weeks, it will have major implications for what the Rojava revolution turns into. Key points of the agreement are the integration of SDF under STG command, while YPJ remaining as a separatist part, and SDF keeping separate brigades in Kobane and Heseke.
Caravan in Defence of Humanity Arrives at Border to Kobane
After a week of travel, cars from various places in Europe finally reached the border with NES. The caravan is a direct support to the defence of the revolution. Before, there had been long delays at the Greek-Turkish border and a number of participants had not been let in to Turkey. Several further activists were deported from Turkey to Germany. Now, the caravan met with DEM party and makes clear that the border is not the end of the journey.
Evaluation
It’s still early for a complete evaluation about the consequences of this new agreement, but we want to take a look on how we got to this point. At the beggining of January, when the attacks on Aleppo started, SDF agreed to withdraw not just from Aleppo but from the areas that came under control of SDF after the collapse of the Assad regime. However STG forces already planned to advance further, overplaying their hand, confident that no external powers would intervene if they played bold. SDF was in a very difficult spot, and decided to withdraw from the contact line and reorganize in their strongholds, ready to defend the core areas.
Rojava made clear that it is ready to rise up in total resistance. That if it were to become an existential war, it is ready to fight until the end. STG tried to advance in Heseke, but they couldn’t. They besieged Kobane, but they did not get close to the city. Heavy clashes are still taking place in the contact lines between both forces. The new front lines where SDF decided to take a stance did not move. While STG forces already lost several armoured vehicles, the losses of the SDF are mainly from the ambushes they suffered during the withdrawal. Militarily, SDF is still a relevant force able to defend itself, as it has been proved during the last days. Politcally, the DAANES is still a relevant actor with a diplomatic body able to react to the political attacks. But mainly, the Kurdish people’s response, not only in Syria but all over Kurdistan and all around the world, is what brought the transitional government to the negotiation table.
If we look at the situation of the Kurdish people in Syria at the beggining of the war, and even more if we look beyond that, what this agreement is putting on the table is an incredible step. In many ways, it feels like a defeat, because it is formalizing the control of the central state over an autonomous administration that worked and developed free of the oppressing hand of any state. But it is also formalizing some rights and recognition that Kurds in Syria never had before.
Still, more than the papers signed or the institutions involved, what matters is how much this will affect the people on the ground. Clearly, the transitional government neither has the political force, nor the people to simply take control of the administration of northern Syria. Still, the implication of this agreement means giving up on major parts of autonomy that have been integral to the self-administration. The possibility of the return of IDP’s to Aleppo or Afrin is a very important part of the negotiations, and the revolutionary spirit is strong and ready to put up many fights. To avoid a bloodbath and to make space for political struggle it is an important move. The political arena can be a better ground to continue the struggle than the military force, knowing that if the doors for political transformation are closed (again), the right (and the means) for self-defense are accessible.
For sure, things will change. And clearly not for the best. The whole world is going into really dark times, but it is also in those dark times when new fires can light brigther. This may be the end of a very important chapter of the history of this particular revolution. Rojava is a proof that organizing a society outside of state control is possible also in the 21st century. That a revolution that puts women’s liberation in the center can build new forms of liberation with a degree and depth never seen before. The Kurdish Liberation Movement is more alive than ever, and will continue growing and learning from what is happening not only in Rojava, but in all of Kurdistan and beyond. As we said, this is just one chapter of the revolutionary history let’s make sure we write many more, let’s work to make the ones that are to come even better.
Revolutionary greetings! 🖤
A new statement of SDF announce an agreement in the talks with the transitional government issued by the SDF Media Center (January 30, 2026)
“A ceasefire agreement was reached between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) under a comprehensive agreement, with an understanding on a phased integration of military and administrative forces between the two sides. The agreement includes the withdrawal of military forces from contact points, the entry of security forces affiliated with the Ministry of Interior into the city centers of Hasakah and Qamishli and the commencement of the integration of security forces in the region, and the formation of a military division comprising three brigades from the SDF, in addition to the formation of a brigade from the Kobani forces within a division affiliated with the Aleppo Governorate. The agreement also includes the integration of the institutions of the Autonomous Administration into the institutions of the Syrian state, with the regularization of civil servants. Furthermore, an agreement was reached on settling the civil and educational rights of the Kurdish people and guaranteeing the return of displaced persons to their areas. The agreement aims to unify Syrian territory and achieve full integration in the region by strengthening cooperation between the concerned parties and unifying efforts to rebuild the country.”
