Developments in Kobani fall outside framework of January 29 Agreement

According to officials from the Autonomous Administration, the developments unfolding in Kobani are inconsistent with the terms outlined in the January 29 agreement between the SDF and the Syrian transitional government.

The agreement provides for the integration of the Autonomous Administration's institutions into the institutions of the Syrian state while retaining civilian employees in their positions. It also recognizes the need to preserve the particular character of the Kurdish-majority regions.

Aref Bali, Co-Chair of the Environment Authority in Kobani, said that North and East Syria has accumulated 14 years of administrative and political experience, during which the institutions of the Autonomous Administration have developed well-established structures. He argued that these institutions were expected to be integrated into the state's institutions as functioning bodies, rather than having the will of the local community bypassed.

Bali explained that the agreement stipulated that integration should begin with military institutions before extending to civilian institutions. However, he said that what is currently taking place in Kobani involves the appointment of officials and administrative changes that neither reflect the wishes of the city's residents nor adhere to the agreed implementation mechanism.

He also criticized the process through which representatives of the Kurdish regions were selected for the Syrian Parliament (People's Assembly), arguing that the number of seats allocated to Kurds does not reflect their demographic weight and was the result of understandings reached between the transitional government and the Kurdish National Council (ENKS).

Bali further claimed that the transitional government has relied in the Kurdish regions on figures affiliated with the former regime and the Kurdish National Council, seeking to implement the agreement in line with its own political vision rather than according to its original terms. He called for the inclusion of all components of society, respect for the will of local residents, and the provision of adequate financial resources and public services for Kobani, which he said continues to suffer from insufficient budgets and limited services.

He also questioned the fate of SDF fighters who remain in captivity despite the signing of the agreement, calling for clarification of their status and for urgent action to address the difficult living conditions facing Syrians.

For her part, Majda Hassoun, Co-Chair of the Women's Authority in Kobani, stressed that women must be equal partners in the integration process. She argued that genuine democratic integration requires free elections and the participation of all stakeholders, warning that any process carried out unilaterally would face significant challenges.

Hassoun emphasized that women should play a direct role in all future state institutions and warned that ignoring their participation would weaken any democratic project. She also called for safeguarding women's rights and the constitutional rights of the Kurdish people, and urged that the Women's Protection Units (YPJ) be incorporated into the future national army, recognizing their central role in the fight against ISIS and in defending the region.

ANHA