Attacks on Rojava by paramilitary jihadist groups affiliated with the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)–backed Syrian Interim Government, which is supported by the Turkish government, are continuing despite the ceasefire. Kobanê remains under siege amid ongoing electricity, water and fuel shortages, while access to healthcare is severely restricted. Six children have died from the cold, and many others have lost their lives because of attacks carried out by these groups. As the threat of destruction facing Rojava has intensified, a state of mobilization has been declared across the four parts of Kurdistan (Northern Kurdistan (Bakur), Southern Kurdistan (Başur), Eastern Kurdistan (Rojhilat) and Rojava). As part of a solidarity visit to the region, a delegation traveled to Rojava, including Kezban Konukçu, an MP from the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), who spoke to the ANF.
Our visit and solidarity actions were a major source of morale
Kezban Konukçu said that the solidarity visit they carried out to Rojava amid ongoing attacks had been a significant source of morale for people across the region. Reflecting on the visit, she emphasized that despite the assaults, people in Rojava, particularly women, remain deeply determined to defend the gains of the revolution.
Konukçu said that people in Rojava attach great importance to solidarity actions held in Turkey and that these actions provided them with strong moral support. She said, “They told us that the gains achieved in Rojava carry meaning for all peoples and for women everywhere. For this reason, they underlined that solidarity must continue.”
Turkey broke the January 18 agreement
Kezban Konukçu said they were unable to enter Kobanê due to the ongoing siege and continued as follows: “In the meetings we held there, we were told that the January 18 agreement reached with the Syrian Interim Government was broken by Turkey. An agreement was expected to be signed that would allow Kurds to protect the gains they have achieved in their regions in terms of local self-administration and to join the Syrian army as a division while preserving their autonomous structures. However, they said that Turkey disrupted this agreement. They also stated that the meeting held in Paris between Israel and the Syrian Interim Government was aimed at undermining the agreement.”
What matters for Kurds is protecting the gains of the revolution
Konukçu said that for Kurdish political parties and women’s organizations, the most critical issue is the protection of the gains of the revolution. Konukçu also said: “Among the Kurdish parties there are those aligned with the Democratic Union Party (PYD), as well as those aligned with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (YNK). What matters to them is preserving a women-centered, egalitarian system of governance and safeguarding the gains of the revolution. They emphasize that they will not take a single step back on this.”
If they say Turks and Kurds are brothers, they must act accordingly
Konukçu said that a deep contradiction exists between the so-called “process” being carried out in Turkey and the ongoing attacks on Rojava, one of the Kurdish people’s most significant gains. She reacted as follows: “If they say that Turks and Kurds are brothers, then they must act in accordance with that brotherhood. The mentality that must be opposed here is the mentality of ISIS, and we need to clearly see which mentality this government is supporting. Even the parliamentary group chair of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) says that ‘Kurds have seized 95 percent of the oil.’ If people live there, of course they will benefit from the resources there. They may establish a federative arrangement with the central government and make their own decisions, but what does ‘seize’ even mean? What does it mean to portray them as if they came from outside and took over land that is not theirs? No one can be deceived by such arguments. They constantly speak of ‘nation and homeland.’ That is their homeland as well. Why does the oil there concern the AKP? Why are they interfering? This shows that they have other intentions, and through these statements they are revealing those intentions themselves.”
The most secular structure is the one built by the Kurdish movement
Kezban Konukçu said the lines are clearly drawn, with the Kurdish people defending their hard-won gains on one side and jihadist groups seeking to destroy those gains on the other.
Konukçu said: “There is a segment in this country that defines itself as secular yet behaves in a deeply hypocritical way on this issue. What actually drives them is not secularism as an ideology, but chauvinism. When it comes to Kurdish rights, they immediately line up their ‘buts’ and ‘however.’ They put forward excuses such as relations with the United States or ties with Israel. Yet the Kurds are engaging in certain talks precisely to secure the gains they have achieved there.
Let us not forget Kobanê. When they were shouting ‘Kobanê has fallen, Kobanê is about to fall,’ we, as the people here, as workers, stood by Kobanê. In the end, people were being massacred there, and coalition forces intervened and provided support. It is easy to do politics from the comfort of one’s own safe space. When they step out of that comfort zone and set foot on the ground, they will see clearly what is really happening.
Do they not see that in the places seized under the name of the Syrian Interim Government; ISIS flags are being raised? Does ISIS not pose a threat to them? How quickly have they forgotten the massacres in Diyarbakır (Amed), Suruç and Ankara. Police officers were recently killed in Yalova. Do they not see this either? Do they not see that these groups rape and kill women, boast about cutting their hair? They do see it. But everyone is trying to protect their own comfort zone, while using chauvinism in the background.
They call themselves secular, but they have nothing to do with secularism. If what is at issue is secularism, then the most secular structure is the one built by the Kurdish movement.”
We must defend the gains of the Rojava revolution
Kezban Konukçu said that during their visit to Rojava, they also met with Kurdish parties other than the PYD. Konukçu said: “In those meetings, there was not a single woman present; all the participants were men above middle age. In contrast, in our meeting with the PYD, there were women, young people and equal representation. This is precisely the egalitarian, women-centered structure that is creating a different wind in the Middle East, like a spring blooming in the desert. Its significance must be fully understood.
Defending Rojava means defending humanity, women’s freedom, and equality. Despite the ceasefire, Kobanê is currently under siege by jihadist groups that are remnants of ISIS. Children are dying from the cold, and Kobanê is being turned into Gaza. Yet the people there are doing everything they can to prevent this from happening. We, too, must stand with the Kurdish people who are resisting, with the women’s liberation-based and egalitarian system they have built, and with the gains of the Rojava Revolution.”