Kurds in East Syria call for decentralised, democratic Syria but President al-Sharra rejects demand

More than 400 delegates from Kurdish regions in Syria, Iraq and Turkey gathered in North and East Syria (Rojava) on April 26 for a major political conference aimed at strengthening Kurdish unity and advancing a shared political vision.

 

The Kurdish Unity and Common Stance Conference, held in Qamishli, sought to bolster cooperation among Kurdish political groups and promote the establishment of a decentralised, democratic Syria. Organisers described the event as a pivotal moment in coordinating Kurdish efforts both within Syria and across the region.

 

The conference was opened by Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who stressed that Kurdish unity would contribute to the overall stability of Syria. "Strengthening the Kurds strengthens Syria," he said. Abdi thanked various contributors, including the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leaders Masoud and Nechirvan Barzani, and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leader Bafel Talabani, for their support.

 

Delegates included representatives from Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, Democratic Regions Party (DBP) and Peoples’ Democratic Congress (HDK), as well as participants from Syrian cities such as Aleppo, Hama, Bab and Azaz. Messages of solidarity were also shared by Kurdish organisations in Europe.

 

A draft agreement presented at the conference explored strategies for engaging with the Syrian government to ensure Kurdish rights within a decentralised framework. The talks cited the example of the 15-year-long experience with multi-ethnic governance in the Kurdish-majority Syrian northeast, where Kurds have worked peacefully with Arabs, Assyrians and other ethnicities.

 

The conference came against the backdrop of growing tensions following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December. Syria’s interim authorities, led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, signed a deal with the SDF last month to integrate Kurdish-led governing bodies and security forces into the central administration. However, Kurdish officials have raised concerns about the Islamist government’s approach, accusing it of failing to uphold Syria’s diversity and marginalising minority groups.

 

While Kurdish-led groups have long avoided explicitly calling for federalism, instead promoting the idea of decentralisation, the conference’s final statement reiterated calls for a “fair and comprehensive” solution to the Kurdish cause within a democratic and decentralised Syria. Delegates demanded constitutional guarantees for the Kurdish people's national rights, the protection of human rights and active participation for women in state institutions.

 

Despite Kurdish reassurances that they seek autonomy rather than independence, Damascus swiftly rejected the conference’s proposals. In a statement on April 28, the Syrian presidency condemned what it described as separatist activities and reiterated that Syria’s territorial unity was a "red line". President al-Sharaa criticised the Kurdish conference, warning that calls for federalism risked dividing Syria at a fragile time. He stressed that no minority group should impose changes to Syria’s national structure without broad consensus. 

 

Al-Sharaa, a former Al-Qaeda, added that Syria’s future governance must prioritise Islamic values and national unity, dismissing Kurdish proposals as foreign-influenced and dangerous. He vowed that the interim government would resist any attempt to carve out autonomous regions, framing decentralisation efforts as an existential threat to Syria’s integrity. “We reject any attempt to impose a separatist reality or to create separate entities under the cover of federalism... without a national consensus,” the presidency said in a statement. “The unity of Syria, of its territories and its people is a red line.”

 

Kurds, who made up approximately 10 per cent of Syria’s pre-war population of 23 million, have been historically marginalised, with many denied citizenship and classified inaccurately as Arabs during the Assad era. Throughout the civil war, Kurdish groups carved out a de facto autonomous region in the northeast and played a crucial role in defeating the Islamic State between 2015 and 2019.

 

The Kurds’ control over large parts of Syria’s oil and gas fields may now prove vital for the country’s reconstruction. However, divisions remain acute, with fears that the interim Islamist-led authorities are steering Syria towards greater centralisation under Islamic law. The constitutional declaration, which enshrined Arabic as the sole official language and omitted Kurdish rights, has fuelled Kurdish apprehensions.

 

Abdi, addressing these concerns, insisted the Kurdish movement’s aim was national unity, not division. “We support all Syrian communities receiving their rights in the constitution to build a decentralised democratic Syria that embraces everyone.”

 

Middle East