As conflicts continue across much of the Middle East, attacks on the Kurdish people are also intensifying across the four parts of Kurdistan. In Iran, in Aleppo, and in Rojava, these assaults have become systematic, while international institutions remain silent in the face of war crimes unfolding in the region. As people take the streets across the four parts of Kurdistan to protest these crimes, the calls issued by political actors once again highlight the urgent need for Kurdish national unity.
Mehmet Kamac, co-chair of the Democratic Unity Initiative, said the attacks and the wider developments point not only to a military escalation, but to a profound historical and political rupture. He stressed that the assaults on the Kurdish people are the result of regional and global power struggles, and that Kurdish national unity is therefore of vital importance.
Kamac said the multiple crises unfolding around the world have pushed the international political and economic system to the brink of collapse, with the heaviest consequences being felt in the Middle East. He said a global search for a new order is under way and added: “The world today is in a deep crisis. With the Russia–Ukraine war, we have entered a phase in which political and economic systems have effectively collapsed. We are living through a period in which the powerful are exercising unlimited force against the weak.”
International law has effectively ceased to function
Mehmet Kamac said one of the starkest examples of this breakdown can be seen in Israel’s assault on Gaza. Kamac said: “For more than two years, people in Gaza have been killed in full view of the world. In any political system that is still functioning, this would be unacceptable. International law, conventions, and agreements have effectively ceased to operate.”
Kamac added that the global economic system is also collapsing, with trade routes, supply chains, and economic relations undergoing fundamental change.
He said the cycle of conflict and war in the Middle East has become permanent, stretching from Iraq to Syria and from the Arab Spring to the present day. Kamac stressed that the Kurds occupy a unique position in this equation. Kamac said: “The Kurds live at the heart of the Middle East and are one of the region’s largest peoples, yet they have been left without any recognized status. When the Middle East was reshaped in the twentieth century, a deliberate imbalance was created through the Kurds. Today, however, the Kurdish question is asserting itself across all four parts through its dynamism and its international connections.”
The central issue is Kurdish national unity
Mehmet Kamac stated that national unity is the most vital issue in resolving the Kurdish question and said: “We can speak separately about Rojava, Southern Kurdistan (Başûr), Eastern Kurdistan (Rojhilat), and Northern Kurdistan (Bakur), but above all of these stands the question of Kurdish national unity. The creation of a national congress and the securing of the Kurdish people’s future are a historical necessity. As the Democratic Unity Initiative, we have been working toward this for about a year and a half. The only way to emerge from this crisis in a healthy way is to build a unity in Kurdistan based on a formula of living together. Otherwise, there is always the risk that what happened at the beginning of the twentieth century will be repeated in the twenty-first.”
The attacks on Aleppo target the entire Kurdish people
Kamac also drew attention to the latest developments in Iran, Rojava, and Aleppo, stressing that the assaults on Aleppo were not limited to a few neighborhoods.
Kamac also said: “The attacks on Aleppo today are a comprehensive assault on Kurdish existence and achievements. We must act with this awareness. Regardless of our parties, ideologies, or worldviews, acting together is a historical responsibility. The success of Kurdish national unity will determine the fate of the Middle East. The Kurdish question cannot be addressed within the borders of a single country. Without resolving the Kurdish question in Turkey, and without resolving the problems of Kurds in Rojava, Eastern Kurdistan, and Southern Kurdistan, lasting peace in the Middle East will not be possible.”
The democratic society paradigm is the key to peace
Mehmet Kamac said the foundation of any solution lies in a democratic society approach and drew attention to the perspective developed by Abdullah Öcalan.
Kamac said: “A democratic society is a model of life in which everyone enjoys their rights, and no one denies the existence of another. Peace is a precondition for a democratic society. Without dialogue and mutual understanding, peace cannot be established in this region. For the first time in history, an armed organization renounced armed struggle without any external pressure, solely in response to a call from its own leadership. This was an extremely important step in building peace. Treating the Kurdish question as an issue confined only to the borders of Turkey does not reflect historical or political reality. Developments across the four parts of Kurdistan must be assessed.”
Kamac said the peace and democratic society process under way in Northern Kurdistan is important but not sufficient. He also said: “The same approach and the same mindset must also be applied to resolving the problems of Kurds in Rojava. The demands of Kurds in Eastern Kurdistan and of the people in Southern Kurdistan are also part of this broader whole.”
A national congress will set an example for the peoples of the Middle East
The unity conference held in Qamishlo on 26 April 2025 marked a critical threshold on the road toward a national congress, Mehmet Kamac said and added: “A national congress that will emerge through the participation of all four parts will offer the peoples of the Middle East the strongest example of living together in peace on the basis of the democratic society paradigm. We believe that once we achieve this unity in Northern Kurdistan as well, a Kurdish National Congress involving all four parts will take shape. That congress will provide the most powerful example for the peoples of the Middle East of how to live together in peace and dignity on the foundation of the democratic society paradigm.’’