Diplomacy continues, as do Turkish attacks on civilians and vital infrastructure across Rojava. Civilians bravely put their bodies on the line as Turkey continues to commit war crimes with impunity. The new HTS-led government promise national dialogue, but will they follow up their words with real actions?
These updates will no longer follow a set schedule, but instead will be published as and when there are significant new developments.
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Crisis in Syria
- Turkey/SNA attacks around the Tishreen dam continue. A convoy of civilians headed to the dam to maintain a vigil and draw international attention; they were bombed en route, killing several and injuring many others. The group are maintaining their presence by the dam, and Turkish forces have continued to bomb them, killing and injuring many. Over 400,000 people still have limited or no water and electricity as a result of damage to the dam, and a collapse of the dam would release a flood of 2 billion m³ of water and cause a massive humanitarian and ecological disaster. Turkey’s actions likely amount to war crimes, per the People’s Tribunal.
- HTS–SDF meetings have continued. HTS maintain that they plan to organise a ‘national dialogue conference’ for all Syrian peoples to discuss and construct a future political system for the country, though no dates have been set yet.
- Murdered journalists Cihan Bilgin and Nazim Daştan were buried in Qamishlo (a.k.a. Qamishli) after Turkey prevented a delegation from retrieving their bodies to bury in their hometowns in Bakur.
- Displaced people from Kobani marked the seventh anniversary of Turkey’s invasion, and called for their right to return to their homes.
- Jan 25/26 will see an international day of action for the 10th anniversary of the liberation of Kobane.
- A callout has been issued to organise actions on Feb 16 in memory of Omar Aziz, a Syrian revolutionary an anarchist who was killed by the Syrian regime.
- The “Drones for Rojava” campaign continues to seek donations. Donations are only accepted via cryptocurrency, but instructions are provided at the link above.
- Heyva Sor continue to call for donations to support internally displaced people (IDPs) within Rojava.
- The DAANES continues to call for international reporters to visit Rojava and witness scenes on the ground. The ‘People’s Tribunal on Rojava v. Turkey’, which will take place in Brussels in February, is also inviting journalists to register to attend.
- Tekoşîna Anarşist (Anarchist Struggle) run an announcements-only Signal group for regular updates on the ground in Rojava. These updates are also published on their website.
Developments in Turkey
- DEM Party MPs have continued to meet with Abdullah Öcalan. They released a statement following these and a series of meetings with other political parties across Turkey.
Events in Britain
- A very successful and well-attended education and solidarity event was held in London earlier today.