SDC condemns siege imposed on Kobani, demands its immediate lifting

The Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) issued a statement on Monday condemning the siege being imposed on the city of Kobani for more than three weeks.

The SDC emphasized that the siege targets more than half a million people, including the city's original inhabitants and displaced residents who sought refuge there from Afrin, Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafieh, Tabqa, Raqqa and its surrounding countryside.

The SDC explained that the siege has been accompanied by a systematic cutting off of electricity and water, and a ban on the entry of medical supplies, food, fuel, and other basic necessities, leading to a severe deterioration in the humanitarian and health situation within the city.

The SDC noted that the continuation of this tragic situation places the lives of civilians, especially children, the sick, and the needy, in grave danger due to shortages of food, baby formula, and essential medical supplies, at a time when health centers are running out of medicine and medical equipment. Most shops have closed after running out of stock, and daily life has become a struggle for survival, a situation the SDC described as amounting to a war crime and collective punishment.

The council affirmed that Kobani, once a global symbol of resistance against terrorism, is being punished today by being used as a political bargaining chip. It deemed this a dangerous act of revenge targeting the will of a people who stood on the front lines defending the world against ISIS.

The Syrian Democratic Council emphasized that the siege constitutes a crime against humanity and a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law. It held those responsible for the siege legally and morally accountable for any victims who may fall due to hunger, disease, or lack of medicine. The Council also stressed its complete rejection of using civilians and their livelihoods as tools for political or military blackmail.

The council called on the Damascus Interim Authority to assume its responsibilities and immediately open all crossings to allow the entry of food, medicine, and fuel, and to cease any measures that contribute to the city's strangulation.

It also called on Syrian national and democratic forces not to remain silent on the situation and to adopt a unified national stance that rejects the siege and places human dignity above all narrow considerations.

The council called on the international coalition against ISIS to intervene urgently to lift the siege and prevent the collapse of the humanitarian situation. It also appealed to the United Nations, the Security Council, and international humanitarian organizations to send immediate investigative committees, open urgent humanitarian corridors, and classify the events as crimes that warrant international accountability.

The council concluded its statement by emphasizing that "Kobani is calling out to the world's conscience that the city triumphed for life must not be left to a slow death, the dignity of the people of Kobani is not negotiable, and that the will of its people will not be broken by siege and starvation."