The Damascus government has been imposing an embargo on Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyah (Şêxmeqsud and Eşrefiyê) neighbourhoods of Aleppo and the canton of Shehba for a long time, causing the people of the region to experience hard times. With the arrival of winter, there are serious problems in terms of basic needs such as health, education, heating and diesel. Citizens living in difficult conditions in the region want the embargo to be lifted as soon as possible.

Democratic Union Party (PYD) Efrin Executive Board Member Velantîna Ebdo spoke to ANHA regarding the embargo imposed by the Damascus government on Shehba and the neighbourhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyah in Aleppo.

Stating that the crisis in Syria is getting deeper and deeper, Velantîna Ebdo said that the governments are still unable to solve even the problems that emerged 100 years ago, and that they consider the crisis as a chance to continue their existence. She continued: "The war between national and international states in our regions has increased. The region has become the scene of the 3rd World War. We chose the 3rd Way. We rely on our people and our self-power. Our aim is to build a democratic and free country. That is why we are being targeted by states that oppose democracy and freedoms."  

Pointing out that it is a crime for the Turkish state to occupy Syria's territory and target the leaders of the 19 July Revolution, Velantîna Ebdo said, "The infrastructure of the region is also targeted with the attacks. In addition, the Damascus government's embargo on the neighbourhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyah is also a crime. These attacks are against the democratic nation project. The Damascus government is committing a crime by imposing an embargo on Shehba and the neighbourhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyah, preventing the passage of flour, medicine, fuel, food and basic living supplies. Doing this in winter aggravates the situation even more.”

“In Shehba, on the other hand, education was compulsorily suspended due to the power outage. The power cut and the lack of the necessary needs for heating jeopardise the lives of the people in the region,” she added.

Pointing to the concurrent attacks by the Turkish state, Velantîna Ebdo said: "The simultaneous attacks of the Turkish state and the embargo of the Damascus government confirm that there is an agreement between them. The return of Afrin residents is also not allowed. The demographic structure of the region is being changed, people are being displaced. They want to depopulate the region.”

Ebdo added: “For the liberation of the occupied regions and the return of those displaced, the people are putting up great resistance in line with the ideas of Leader Abdullah Öcalan. If the siege, embargo and starvation policies continue, serious problems will arise in the region."