Saturday the 12th of January, at 10:30pm, Gare du Nord in Paris
Just a few hours after the capture of the town of Hajin by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the last remaining enclave of Daesh in Syria, President Trump announced the withdrawal of American forces in Syria in a tweet which has taken aback his allies as well as his own troops.
Although the self-administration of Rojava never had any illusion about the circumstantial support of the USA, the announced withdrawal is sure to give way to a military intervention of Turkey against Rojava. Turkey is presently deploying troops near the border and declares an attack is imminent. The city of Manbij will probably be targeted first.
In the absence of any reaction from the international community, one fears a blood bath as in Afrin, whose inhabitants are daily suffering from extortion and ethnic cleansing by groups claiming to be part of the Free Syrian Army and backed by the authoritarian regime presently ruling Turkey.
Although France has maintained its troops for the time being and continues to act as an mediating force, nothing ensures this will last, Macron is not the last one in Erdogan’s pocket.
Syrian Dictator Assad and his Russian and Iranian supporters may well rub their hands with glee; the abrupt abandoning of the SDF may prompt the Kurds and their allies to resume their negotiations with the Syrian regime who have ambitions to regain control of the North of the country and find themselves in a strong position. The Syrian regime’s forces have already taken positions in the neighbourhood of Manbij city. Little can be done without an external support. The members of the SDF have demonstrated their courage in numerous occasions, but how can they resist bombings from the Turkish air force?
Meanwhile, the inhabitants of the democratic federation of northern Syria prepare to resist. Trenches and shelters are being dug and weapons are being distributed. A proverb says that Kurds’ only friends are the mountains. Mobilizing to support the democratic, multiethnic, gender-equality project implemented in Rojava might well belie it. Let us not accept that the military invasion by Erdogan’s Turkey be passed over in silence. Let us take part in actions to raise the profile of the resistance of Rojava and Kurd, Syrian, Turkish, and Arab populations, …., who want to live together in peace.
Let’s meet at Gare du Nord in Paris, Saturday the 12th of January, at 10:30 PM, to demand justice and truth for the 3 Kurdish women murdered in Paris in 2013 and declare our support for the struggle of the Kurdish people in Rojava.