Kurdish politician Halil İbrahim Baran has emphasized the urgent need for all Kurdish political entities to unite around the Autonomous Administration of Rojava and establish common demands. Baran warned that failure to do so would jeopardize the gains achieved so far and prevent Kurds from attaining their rights.
Baran pointed out that Kurds who reject or object to the existence of the Autonomous Administration face two fundamental options: either falling under Turkish occupation or being left at the mercy of the Damascus regime. He cited Afrin as the clearest example of this reality. After Turkey's agreement with Russia, Afrin fell out of the hands of the Autonomous Administration, which initially pleased some opposing Kurdish factions. However, Baran noted that Turkey did not allow any Kurdish entity to establish governance in the region. Instead, Turkey treated Afrin as one of its own cities, similar to those in the Aegean or Central Anatolia regions, replacing Kurdish signs with Turkish ones and banning the Kurdish language.
Baran further highlighted the demographic changes imposed on Afrin, where olive trees were plundered, and the population was rapidly transformed in favor of Arab groups aligned with Turkey. Turkish intelligence, postal services, banks, and administrative offices were established in Afrin, while Kurds under regime or jihadist control were either forced to migrate or silenced regarding their Kurdish identity.
"This reality demonstrates that Turkey's hostility is not limited to PYD/YPG but extends to all Kurds as a whole," Baran stated. "Therefore, it is of vital importance to make the current gains permanent. Otherwise, the Kurdish presence in these lands will be completely eradicated. This is not an issue of PYD or ENKS alone; it is a matter of the survival of the Kurdish people as a whole."
Baran outlined his vision for a new Syria, where Kurds must be recognized as a founding component of the state. He called for the presidency to be held by a Kurd and for Kurdish to gain equal status as an official language alongside Arabic. He also demanded reparations for the economic and social damages inflicted on Kurds by the Syrian state over the past century, as well as affirmative action to address the identity suppression and prohibitions Kurds have faced.
Moreover, Baran proposed the establishment of a federal region named “Western Kurdistan” in the territories of Northern and Eastern Syria, including Afrin. He emphasized that the existing Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) must be constitutionally guaranteed as the army of this federal region.
Baran concluded that without such measures, the future of the Kurdish people in Syria remains under serious threat.
.webp)
