Kobanî (also Kobanê, Arabic: كوباني, Classical Syriac: ܟܘܒܐܢܝ), officially Ayn al-Arab, is a city in the Kobani region of the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria. It lies on the border with Turkey.
Kobani was the place where the Rojava Revolution was first declared on 19 July, 2012.
In 2014, it was declared the administrative centre of the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria. It is in the Kobani Canton, which forms part of the Euphrates Region.
From September 2014 to January 2015, the city was under siege by Daesh [Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]. Most of the city was destroyed and most of the population fled to Turkey. In 2015, the city was liberated by the People’s Protection Forces (YPG), despite most of the world expecting it to fall. Kobani is sometimes called “The Kurdish Stalingrad” because of this. Many of the refugees returned after the liberation and reconstruction began. Part of the city remains in rubble as an open air museum.
Prior to the Syrian Civil War, Kobanî was recorded as having a population of close to 45,000. The majority of inhabitants were Kurds, with Arab, Turkmen, and Armenian minorities.
The ecological structure is also destroyed in the attacks on Northern and Eastern Syria. The Ecology Committee of Kongra Star has protected nature with the spirit of goddesses. Rihan Temo, spokesperson of the committee, called on women, people, organizations and institutes and said, “Protect your lands, nature because our lands are rich. We want to create the mentality protecting ecology culture in society. We should protect our environment and trees.
In the face of war and regional isolation, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) has constructed a network of universities on its territory in order to rival the knowledge-production institutions of the Syrian government. In its stead, it offers a tertiary education system on par with international standards, yet fundamentally influenced by its democratic values.
Social Committee develops projects for people Social Committee of Kongra Star has taken important social steps in the Revolution in Rojava, it has also become an area for educating and organizing the society. The committee has carried out activities for people of all ages. It has held meetings with families and listened to them in order to carry out awareness-raising activities for them. The Social Committee's responsibility is to democratize families in society and to resolve the problems faced by families. Gulistan Eli, spokesperson of the committee, spoke to NuJINHA about the activities of the committee.
SOHR warns against looming humanitarian catastrophe as Turkey continues to seize Syria’s water share.
Women have been leading a historical revolution in a small country of the world. While the brutal attacks of ISIS on Rojava have been repelled by the resistance of women, their resistance encourages all women around the world. Despite the ongoing attacks on Rojava, women organize them in all areas, from economy to ecology, from politics to diplomacy. Yekitiya Star announced its foundation in 2005 under the pressure of the Baathist regime. After holding its sixth congress, the name of Yekitiya Star was changed to its current name of Kongra Star. Kongra Star, which has carried out important activities for women in Rojava, has 12 committees aiming to build the Democratic Nation.
Women in Rojava improve economy Pointing out that the women have improved the economy in Rojava, Armanc Mihemed, executive of the Economy Committee of Kongra Star, said that they have achieved significant successes by realizing many projects.
Despite the simple capabilities under the capitalist economy, and the constant attacks of the occupier on the regions of northeast and Syria, the economic toil of women has bore fruit to good results during 2020, as they played a leading role in easing the economic crisis that the region suffer from.
Young people in Kobanê are ensuring the economic autonomy of their community through cooperatives being grown to feed needy people.
The Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration in northeast Syria announced on Thursday the inauguration of the first foodstuff factory in the country’s northern town of Kobani.
A project called “Women’s Will (Vîna Jinan)” carried out in Kobanî provides job opportunities for women, who couldn’t go to school. Kobanî Women's Committee Spokesperson Cemila Faris spoke to NuJINHA about their project.
House of Supplies or "Vina Jin" is considered one of the most important economic projects that help women - working in the project in particular, and women employed in the city of Kobani, in northern Syria in general - to enable them economically.
Despite the embargo and attacks, grassroots democratic women's structures in Rojava continue to work on building a self-managed women's economy. This is intended to ensure self-sufficiency and empower women.
In the context of the community initiatives undertaken by the people of northern and eastern Syria, “Lavin” sewing workshop produces 500 pieces of medical scrubs on a daily basis as an aid to doctors and hospitals.
North and East Syria faces serious challenges in the fight against COVID-19. 600,000 IDPs and refugees live in camps across the region, their situation already precarious without a pandemic. Ongoing attacks by Turkish forces, Turkey-backed militias, and ISIS complicate the security situation and threaten essential civilian infrastructure like water lines. According to the Rojava Information Center,
