Encircled by government forces and without basic services, residents of Kurdish-majority Kobani fear a return to the city’s darkest days as the end of a fragile ceasefire approaches.
The SDF’s sudden withdrawal has ushered in a new reality for Syrians in Deir e-Zor and Raqqa, where many are optimistic despite uncertainty about the days ahead.
A four-day ceasefire marks the latest effort to integrate SDF and Syrian government forces and avoid a dangerous military showdown, but its success hinges on each side’s willingness and ability to commit to the political process.
A ceasefire halted clashes between Syrian government forces and the SDF in two Kurdish-majority neighborhoods of Aleppo city this week, but the outburst of violence highlighted how far the two sides are from implementing stalled integration agreements.
Syrians welcomed news of a landmark agreement to integrate Kurdish-led forces into state institutions on Monday, hoping it would prevent bloodshed and prevent any partition of the country, while “the devil is in the details” of its implementation.
For Syrians and Syrian-Palestinians, crackdowns on expressions of solidarity with Palestine have exposed a “double standard” in European democracies and reopened old wounds. As the political climate hardens, they fear their full participation in European society is increasingly at risk.
