Ferhan Hec Îsa, co-chair of the Executive Council of the Euphrates Canton Autonomous Administration, warned of an impending genocide against the population of Kobanê. Speaking to the ANHA news agency, he described the effects of the siege by Syrian government troops, militias, and Turkish-backed groups as acutely life-threatening. “Kobanê is cut off, lacking basic needs—electricity, water, food, medicine. The city is on the brink of genocide.”
According to Hec Îsa, the siege affects not only the local population, but also thousands of IDPs who have fled to the city from Raqqa, Tabqa, Sheikh Maqsoud, and Ashrafiyah in recent days and weeks. Schools, mosques, and public institutions are overcrowded, and many people are forced to survive outdoors, in the snow, without heating or blankets. “The need is existential. Kobanê urgently needs water, food, and medical aid, not just words.”
The situation is particularly dangerous following the capture of the Tishrin Dam by Syrian and Turkish-aligned militias. Since then, the main supply routes for water, electricity, medicine, and food have been completely blocked. The medical infrastructure is on the verge of collapse. “The sick are no longer being cared for, there is a shortage of medicine, and hospitals cannot function. The city is being systematically starved.”
Hec Îsa appealed to the international community and stated statements of solidarity are ineffective as long as they are not translated into concrete humanitarian action. “Those who invoke human rights cannot remain silent in the face of this siege. Immediate intervention is needed now. Not tomorrow, but today.” He called upon international organizations, humanitarian actors, and states to intervene immediately.