Kongra Star, the umbrella organization of women in North-East Syria, released a statement calling for solidarity with the people along the Syrian coast after the obstruction of trucks of aid dispatched to the region.
The Kongra Star statement said the following:
“After the fall of the Ba’ath regime and the rise of HTS to power in Syria, the Syrian people had hoped that a new Syria would be built—one with democratic principles, where all communities could participate with their own culture, language, identity, and specificity. Unfortunately, once HTS began governing Syria, the pain and suffering of the Syrian people were intensified—especially in the last two months, when groups of mercenaries connected to the fascist Turkish state, with the support of HTS, launched an operation against the Alevi population along the Syrian coast, implementing a campaign of genocide and erasure.
Claiming that the Alevi community were a product of the Ba’ath regime, they carried out massacres against them that go beyond any human principles. This attitude reveals the truth, that these mercenaries are a continuation of ISIS and Islamic fundamentalism: they act according to the principles of a nationalist, religiously fundamentalist, and sexist system. Such a force has no place in determining Syria’s future.
As women from North and East Syria, we cannot accept the massacres committed under this system and mentality against women, children, and the people as a whole. On this basis, we—as Kongra Star in Rojava and women’s organizations across North and East Syria—have launched a campaign of voluntary humanitarian aid for those facing crisis, hunger, rape, violence, abductions, killings, and forced displacement. Women and children, in particular, have been sacrificed and made to suffer immensely as a result of this conservative system and ideology.
That’s why we, as women’s organizations, have come together to collect essential goods for those victims on the coast. As Kongra Star, we see it as our duty to be responsible to these women and children.
For 14 years, we have been the vanguard of our society in the Rojava revolution, and today we continue to stand at the forefront of the struggle for all Syrian women, aiming to build a democratic, decentralized, and diverse Syria—one that reflects the values and vision of women. A Syria in which, above all, children, women, and all communities can live in freedom, peace, and equality—and be at the forefront of the resistance and fight against a system of genocide and erasure that denies the existence of women.
In the face of these massacres, rapes, displacement, and the ongoing economic and social hardships on the Syrian coast, we, as the peoples of North and East Syria, gathered 15 trucks of aid—4 of which were organized by women. Our intention was to reach the coastal cities. Coordination was initiated and contact was established with the relevant parties, and the caravan departed on April 1st to deliver aid to the victims on the Syrian coast.
Even so, when the caravan reached the checkpoint known as Xanasir, many obstacles were placed in our way—disrespectful actions that violated basic human ethics. These actions were carried out by the mercenaries of al-Amshat, a group linked to the fascist Turkish state involved in the Alevi massacre, and supported by HTS, who attempted to seize the humanitarian aid. After long hours of discussion, we were forced to turn back. The drivers, along with the people who had come with the intention of distributing the aid in a spirit of solidarity, were threatened. Confusion was deliberately created among the drivers, but since they had been informed in advance about the risks and possible provocations, the attempts by HTS and its allies failed.
We, as Kongra Star, call on all women’s organizations to stand with the women of the Syrian coastal towns, whose struggle to reclaim their dignity is a crucial step toward reclaiming the freedom of all women. Furthermore, we also call for solidarity with our Alevi people who are facing this policy of erasure and genocide. We make an appeal to the United Nations, the international community, and human rights organizations to quickly open a humanitarian corridor in order to deliver urgent necessities to the Syrian coastal areas."