Guerrilla commander Edessa Cejna died in an enemy attack in Dersim in October 2023. The press center of the People's Defense Forces (HPG) said in a statement that the commander of the Free Women’s Troops (YJA Star) was born in Batman (Êlih), although her family was from Cizre Botan. The HPG expressed their condolences to her family and the people of Kurdistan and provided the following information about the guerrilla:

 Nom de Guerre: Edessa Cejna

 First and last name: Ece Yılmaz

 Place of birth: Batman

 Names of mother and father: Leyla – Mehmet Ali

 Date and place of death: October 14, 2023 / Dersim

Edessa Cejna spent the first ten years of her life in Batman and then moved to Istanbul with her family due to state repression. Her family held on to their Kurdish identity there and Edessa grew up speaking her mother tongue and being aware of her own culture. As an adolescent, she became politically active and questioned society and her own life. She became aware of the role that is imposed on women in a patriarchal society. She decided to resist. When Abdullah Öcalan was kidnapped to Turkey in 1999 and jailed on the prison island of Imrali, she became even more involved in the activities of the youth movement. In 2001, she went to the mountains and joined the guerrillas.

Edessa Cejna came to Xakurke for basic training. She quickly settled in and described the guerrilla as a place with high goals and feelings that all people long for. With this attitude and her simple warmth, she took part in guerrilla life without reservation.

She stayed in Xinêre until 2003. During this time, she became an ideologically and militarily armed fighter for the YJA Star. When contradictions arose within the Kurdish movement following the capture of Öcalan and pressure was given to surrender and betrayal, Edessa went to the war zone and was in the Zagros Mountains for three years. She gained military experience and moved to Dersim in 2003 at her own urgent request. There she met valuable commanders from whom she learned and with whom she fought. During her nine years in Dersim, she got to know every corner of the region.

In 2015, Edessa returned to the Medya Defense Areas. She then stayed in Gare, Xakurke and Gever and took on tasks in the regional command. However, her heart always beat for Dersim, where, together with valuable comrades, she braved the difficult conditions and dealt heavy blows to the enemy. She went back to the region and was aware of her great responsibility. With great determination, willpower and love, she managed to hold out against enemy attacks even under impossible circumstances. As a free Kurd and commander, she raised the flag of resistance on the mountain peaks of Dersim. She unconditionally defended the apoist ideology and thereby created a free life."

Commander Edessa buried in Batman

YJA Star Commander Cejna was buried in Batman on Thursday. The family, who gave blood to the Malatya Forensic Medicine Institute for DNA testing on 20 December 2023, was called on Wednesday and asked to collect the remains. The guerrilla commander was laid to rest in the night.