Regarding language, history and religion, we can divide the Christian community in North and East Syria into three groups: Syriac, Assyrian and Armenian. The first two are culturally close to one another and share a common heritage, but separated on points of language and by historic theological differences.
Co-president of the Manbij Electricity Administration Meha Haj Elî stated that the Turkish state used the Euphrates River as a political blackmail and did not comply with international agreements.
The women in Kobane are coming together to work on the fields and try to give life to the lands suffering from this Turkish-made drought.
As the Syrian lira continues to lose value, Syrians who have been badly affected by increasing prices of basic food products have faced food insecurity. People in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES, also known as Rojava) have increasingly been adopting alternative projects – home gardening – to support local agriculture.
Our people survived the authoritarian Syrian regime for decades. We withstood the past decade of war and instability. We battled the invading armies of ISIS. We have weathered a crushing economic collapse in the past year. With our inspiring democratic model, and with our unity and persistence, we can bring water and life back to Hasakah.
The war against ISIS, but also the recurring Turkish invasions in North and East Syria have left tens of thousands of fighters and civilians injured and long-term disabled. Yet, with a healthcare system in crisis the AANES is struggling to meet the medical needs of its population. The Federation of Wounded Individuals in North and East Syria was created in order to advocate for and represent those who have been long-term or permanently disabled as a result of the war.
Hasankeyf, an ancient town in Turkey’s south-eastern province of Batman (Êlih) – with a history of 12,000 years of human settlement – was engulfed in 2019 by the reservoir of a controversial hydroelectric dam project.
The Women’s Products Market opened by the Qamishlo Municipality is both a workplace and a space for women to socialize. Women working in the market read books written by female authors while drinking coffee or tea. Now, women have 14 stores in the market and they earn a living by selling their products.
Everywhere in North and East Syria, women have shown their strength and capacity — in every role, from our highest government offices to farmers and members of economic cooperatives. Our co-leadership model provides an example of how women can recover from generations of oppression, claim our power, and become leaders and actors in our world. This model is in danger of being destroyed — by the Turkish occupation, by the Assad government, or by the Turkish-backed Syrian militias.
The recent seizure of the Euphrates water by Turkeyhas increased the sufferings of the villagers in the countryside of Manbij, north Syria.
Adalet Narin lives in the Hani district of Amed and she is the only female baker in the district. She makes bread and creates a social space for women in the district. She makes bread by giving shape the dough kneaded by women living in the district.
Faced with a war economy and massive historical obstacles, it is remarkable that the AANES has been able to create one of the most stable and self-sufficient economies in the country.
