On the 29th of January, an agreement was reached between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian Transitional Government for a ceasefire, and the first stages of integration of structures of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria into the Syrian State. The agreement outlined four phases, through which over the course of a month this integration would occur.
Phase 1: Security and Military Measures – a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire and the integration of SDF into the Syrian Ministry of Defense as a militarily division for the Al-Hasakah province, in three brigades.
Phase 2: Security and Administrative Arrangements (Monday, February 2, 2026): the entry of 15 security vehicles to Hasakah and Qamishli for the process of integrating SDF security forces to the Ministry of Interior, and the appointment of local officials.
Phase 3: Integration of vital sites and logistical procedures (within a maximum of ten days): Rmeilan and Suwaydiya oil fields and integration of civilian employees by the Ministry of Energy. The Qamishli Airport will be run by the Civil Aviation Authority.
Phase 4: integration of civil institutions (within a maximum of one month): This includes the Semelka and Nusaybin, as well as the integration of institutions of the self-administration into Syrian State institutions, and confirmation of civil servants working in these institutions.
As an agreement driven primarily by an urgent need to prevent a wider regional war and the risk of mass atrocities, much remains to be discussed and the substantive work of building a genuinely democratic Syria still lies ahead. The agreement itself further specifies five points binding on all parties, to be further discussed:
1. The prevention of military forces from entering cities and towns from all sides, especially Kurdish areas.
2. The certification of school, university, and institute diplomas issued by the autonomous administration in northeast Syria.
3. The Licensing all local and cultural organizations and media institutions in accordance with the laws governing the relevant ministries.
4. Work with the Ministry of Education to discuss the educational path of the Kurdish community and take into account educational specificity.
5. Ensure the return of all displaced persons to their cities and villages (Afrin, Sheikh Maqsood, Ras al-Ayn/Sere Kaniye) and appoint local officials within the civil administrations in those areas.
Significant concerns further remain regarding the transitional government’s approach, and Kurdish institutions have stressed the importance of international monitoring of the ceasefire diplomatic pressure to ensure that a democratic form of governance for all peoples of Syria can be established. Further, a humanitarian crisis remains present in many parts of North and Eastern Syria, where there remain a high number of internally displaced persons, and conditions of siege continue to be imposed on cities such as Kobane.
Council of Europe passes resolution on Syria, urging protection of Kurds and democratic governance
In the 2026 winter session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, a resolution was passed expressing support for Kurds and other peoples of Syria, insisting on the implementation of a lasting ceasefire and democratic forms of governance that guarantee rights and protection for all communities. The resolution also demanded unimpeded humanitarian access to Kurdish regions affected by recent attacks by the Syrian transitional authorities, including the opening of border crossings to enable aid to reach cities such as Kobanê. The responsibility now lies with member states to translate this resolution into concrete action Concretely, the political recognition of DAANES by international institutions such as the Council of Europe and its member states, and sending observer mission with the authority to monitor compliance of the ceasefire and integration agreements are ways in which this resolution could be translated into practice.
Link to the resolution here: https://pace.coe.int/pdf/d641ba96bd8691534c07afa50ddbd31846e3e45411909d863d5420de3db90308/res. 2642.pdf
Regarding recent developments, Kurdish institutions, human rights and civil society actors have urged the international community to take action in protecting the rights of Kurds and other peoples in Syria by applying diplomatic pressure, insisting on the creation of democratic structures of governance that represent the religious, ethic diversity of Syrian peoples. In advance of this week’s debate in the European Parliament “Situation in Northeast Syria, the violence against civilians and the need to maintain a sustainable ceasefire”, the following points were identified as key requests from the European Union and its member states regarding the situation in Syria:
Humanitarian Support and Monitoring
- Calls for the opening permanent, internationally guaranteed humanitarian corridors to besieged areas, including Kobanê. Humanitarian access must never be conditional, temporary, or subject to military coercion.
- Calls for the unimpeded humanitarian access to be safeguarded and adequately resourced both within Syria and across borders.
- Strongly supports an immediate, internationally monitored protection mechanisms through the urgent deployment of a robust observer mission with the authority to monitor compliance of the ceasefire and integration agreements, document violations in real time, and protect civilians.
Diplomatic Pressure
- Calls for the EU and its Member States to apply diplomatic pressure on the Syrian Transitional Government, as well as states such as Turkey which were directly involved in the assault on Kurdish communities and who’s pursuit of power interest is obstructing the path to peace in Syria, isolating perpetrators diplomatically.
- Stresses that European Union funding and political partnerships with Syria must be conditional on the respect for human rights, and development of a democratic, inclusive pluralistic system of governance representative of the religious and ethnic diversity of the Syrian peoples.
- Calls for urgent international accountability, including the consideration by the EU and Member States of targeted sanctions against individuals and entities responsible for abuses.
Guarantee Constitutional Rights and Democratic Self Governance
| Constitutional Recognition and Political Guarantees: Secure the constitutional recognition of Kurdish identity, language, education, self-defense, and democratic self-governance. Without binding political guarantees, any settlement will merely institutionalize dispossession, repression, and structural violence.Expresses support for international political recognition of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES), as a legitimate democratic regional form of self-governance within the territory of a democratic Syrian State. |