The Deir ez-Zor region is one of the areas in Syria that was under ISIS rule for the longest time. The reign of terror lasted from 2014 to 2019. Although Deir ez-Zor was liberated by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in March 2019, this region is still dangerous today because of the many sleeper cells left behind by ISIS. These cells receive support from the Turkish-occupied areas through the MIT Secret Service. The area is being attacked from several fronts. In addition to the ISIS cells supported by Turkey, the Syrian regime also repeatedly attacks the region and tries to create unrest among the tribal population.

Despite attempts to destabilize the region, the Autonomous Administration and the population continue to build their own system within the framework of the radical democratic project of the democratic nation. Numerous structures have been created, from the defense system to the internal security forces, from women's institutions to communities, from municipalities to councils. The initiative of the Movement for a Democratic Society (TEV-DEM) is an important support in this. With the help of TEV-DEM, a whole range of civil society organizations have been created.

Saja al-Huweydi, a member of TEV-DEM, spoke to ANF about the development of civil society in Deir ez-Zor. She said that the establishment of the first civil society organizations in the region began in 2021 and added: "This process was led by TEV-DEM. Of course, there were some difficulties in the establishment phase because society could not initially accept these institutions due to the mentality imposed by ISIS. The first question that arose was: 'Why do these institutions exist, who do they serve?' However, the biggest difficulty was the IS cells organized in the region. Despite all these obstacles, we gradually built organized structures."

Saja al-Huweydi continued: "We started with professional organizations and established associations of doctors, drivers, farmers, lawyers, veterinarians and fishermen. Professional chambers were formed, and each profession has its own representatives in these chambers. The aim of this organization was to enable  individual professional groups to find solutions to their problems, develop their work and practice their professions within a legal framework. All organizations come together under the umbrella of TEV-DEM and work within the framework of the laws established by the Autonomous Administration.

In 2023, the co-chairs of the civil society organizations were elected at a TEV-DEM conference. In this way, all organizations in northern and eastern Syria were established. They are united under the umbrella of the Democratic Society Confederalism. The Democratic Society Confederalism, founded in 2023, aims to expand the field and level of work. There were also many civil society organizations that worked independently of each other. It was important to bring them together under the umbrella of a better organized structure. Civil society organizations should also play a role in the political field. They should have a say in developments in the region and be in contact with the political parties."

Farmers' Association with 60,000 members

Al-Huweydi said: "Our initial goal was to bring together small unions. But today some unions have more than a thousand members. The Farmers' Association is the largest among these groups because agriculture is intensive here. The Farmers' Association has 60,000 members. Organizing 60,000 people in a region like Deir ez-Zor is a great achievement. The Trades' Association, on the other hand, has a thousand members, and we have drawn up a plan for future projects.

The civil society system is based on democratic principles. Before a decision is made, conferences or large meetings are held in which all members participate. Discussions are held here and votes are taken. These conferences and meetings apply to all organizations. The decisions and plans are communicated to the general organizations in Northern and Eastern Syria, and we see that they have a very positive effect on practice."

Conflict prevention and self-defense through self-organization

Al-Huweydi added: "Before the creation of a democratic organization of civil society, there were difficulties and disputes in many places. However, with the development of this structure, a system was created between the institutions that plays an effective role in educating and raising awareness in society. In the meetings, workshops and training that have taken place since the establishment of these organizations, the self-government system and the democratic nation project have been widely discussed and explained to the public. We see that these activities have led to very positive developments among the population. The most concrete example of this is the population's reactions to the attacks on Deir ez-Zor."

Tribes support the model

Al-Huweydi said: "The social structure of our society is largely based on tribalism and tribal leaders have a great influence on the people. The old people from the tribes involved in the democratic nation project have motivated and encouraged the people to fight back against the attacks. At every opportunity, they have expressed that they see no other choice than the autonomous administrative system and the democratic nation project. They have been at the forefront of all demonstrations against the attacks. In addition, the villages along the Euphrates have also directly joined forces with the defense forces for their own defense.

Democratic civil organizations act as a kind of link between the Autonomous Administration and the people. Thanks to these institutions, people can bring their demands directly to the administration. Another task of democratic civil institutions is to educate the people and ensure that they understand their role and task in the existing system. These institutions also play an important role in building trust between the people and the regional councils. The number of people involved in democratic civil organizations is over 20,000, excluding the farmers' association with 60,000 members. In this sense, we can say that civil society organizations are the voice of the people."

Cells are trying to create chaos

Al-Huweydi said: "In Deir ez-Zor, many sides have formed their own organizations and cells to create unrest in the region. These are groups that are linked to the government in Damascus and are making all kinds of machinations to foment conflict. In addition, ISIS is also trying to create chaos in the region. This obviously has a serious impact on society. Our main task is to prevent this and to sensitize and organize people against these attacks and the special war policy."

Organizing women, difficult but successful

Saja al-Huweydi said that the biggest problem in the conservative region was enabling women to participate in organized structures or to convince them to do so. She said: "Democratic civil society organizations have been forming here for three years. The participation of women in these institutions has been particularly problematic. It is not easy to organize women who have been subjected to great oppression and negative mentality for years and to get them to work in such institutions in one day. The biggest obstacle was the tribes. Such institutions had never existed in the region before. It was the first time and the tribes mostly used this as a justification.

They claimed that such institutions had not existed in the region and that they therefore did not want women to organize themselves in these institutions. Women should not leave the house so often. It was not appropriate. To change this, we organized many meetings and training sessions. It took us a lot of effort and time to change this situation. We held meetings with tribal leaders and visited many families. This process took a long time, but gradually we gained acceptance. Little by little, they accepted the institutions and began to trust the project. They also began to see themselves as part of this system.

Currently, women are very well represented in institutions. They also work at the decision-making level, and in some places their number exceeds that of men. These developments naturally give us strength. Because for a long time a great and painful struggle was waged, great suffering was endured, and the point reached today is a tremendous driving force for us. Of course, we cannot say that we have completely overcome all the problems and difficulties. But I can say that in a place like Deir ez-Zor, all councils and institutions, from education to all areas of life, are now at least half staffed by women, allowing women to make their own decisions about their lives. 4,000 women work as teachers in the region alone."

10,000 women in the farmers' union

Saja al-Huweydi said: "There are also 10,000 women in the farmers' union. This is the result of our struggle and gives us great morale. The support of women among each other and their strength is increasing more and more. The women in these institutions are not limited to their respective institutions; we also have an organization that brings them all together. Sometimes we work together.

We hold joint discussions and projects with other women's organizations and associations to attract more women to this work. For the future, we have other projects that we are working on implementing. Our main goal is to spread and bring to life the project of the democratic nation in the spirit of Rêber Apo [Abdullah Öcalan]'s philosophy."