The Kurdish-led administration of northeast Syria announced a state of general mobilization on Sunday, accusing Damascus of launching what it characterized as an existential war against its forces despite an internationally mediated truce. The Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) called on residents to support the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Women's Protection Units (YPJ) as fighting intensifies across multiple fronts.
According to Rudaw, the administration stated that factions affiliated with Syria's interim Damascus government violated the ceasefire by launching attacks on Saturday morning that continued through Sunday. The DAANES emphasized that despite withdrawing from certain areas in good faith and pursuing peaceful solutions, Damascus has chosen to continue military operations. The administration urged citizens to remain on full alert, uphold self-defense principles, and actively participate in defending their communities.
The escalating tensions have drawn concern from imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan, who characterized the Syrian conflict as an attempt to sabotage broader peace efforts. According to the ANF, during a two-and-a-half-hour meeting at İmralı prison on Friday with a delegation from Turkey's DEM Party, Öcalan expressed deep alarm over the deteriorating situation in Syria and its potential impact on what he termed the "Peace and Democratic Society Process."
Regional Peace at Risk
The İmralı delegation reported that Öcalan remains committed to the peace framework established on February 27 and stressed the importance of advancing the process through concrete steps. He insisted that all problems in Syria can and must be resolved through dialogue, negotiation, and collective reasoning rather than military confrontation.
Öcalan offered to assume responsibility for helping transform the conflict into a negotiated settlement, calling on all actors and parties involved to play constructive roles and exercise careful responsibility. His statement underscores concerns that the fighting in northeast Syria could undermine broader regional peace initiatives.
The general mobilization order represents a significant escalation in the ongoing struggle between Kurdish-led forces and Damascus. The SDF, which controls much of northeast Syria, has accused the Syrian government of sowing discord in Arab-majority areas and violating the US-brokered truce through continued military operations. The situation remains fluid as international mediators attempt to prevent further deterioration of security conditions in the region.
The conflict threatens to destabilize an already fragile situation in Syria, where multiple armed factions continue competing for territory and influence following years of civil war.