Suspension of all Service facilities in Shahba over Damascus's blockade

The announcement came through a statement made by the Local Administration and Environment Body in Afrin and Shahba Cantons, today, in al-Ahdath district in Shahba  Canton.

The statement was read in Arabic by the co-chair of the Body, Muhammad Sheikho, and in Kurdish by member Shervin Sheikho.

The statement read:

"In light of the conditions that our people live in al-Shahba, and as a result of the political, economic and military conditions involved in the international interests, which were a major reason for the displacement of the people of Afrin to al-Shahba, which was exposed as a result of the wars to the lack of livelihood and the collapse of the infrastructure, despite that we insist on resistance and steadfastness to liberate of Afrin and al-Shahba and  return to our regions in accordance with international law, human rights organizations and the United Nations.

With the initiative launched by the Autonomous Administration to solve the Syrian crisis, in which it called on the Damascus government and all national democratic forces to work towards finding a solution to end the Syrian crisis and for the dialogue to be Syrian. However,  the Damascus government still aims, through its imposed and unjust siege, to starve the people and force them to migrate again.

For nearly more than five years, our people, the displaced from Afrin and al-Shahba, have been exposed to a lack of livelihood, due to the imposition of a siege by the Damascus government over renewal of political and planned agreements between the Damascus government, Russia, and the Turkish occupation state, the siege intensifies on the people as the Syrian regime prevents the entry of fuel, medicine and foodstuffs.

In light of the region’s exposure to continuous bombardment by the Turkish occupation state and the suffocating siege that has reached the point of a humanitarian catastrophe, and as a result of the loss of fuel from the local administration and the environment, we have rationed the electricity, if the siege on the canton continues, all services, including electricity, water, ovens, hospitals and schools will be stopped.

We, in the Local Administration and Environment Body of Afrin and al-Shahba condemn the Damascus government's behavior, and its insistence on tightening the siege on civilians.

We direct our appeal to international organizations for urgent humanitarian intervention, opening the crossings, carrying out their duties towards the people and the region, and putting pressure on the Damascus government to lift the siege imposed on the region.

a.k

ANHA