As SDF disband in Syria, Kurds ponder how to secure their rights

Erbil, Iraq – The merger of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into the government forces last month has sparked a debate among many Kurds in Syria as well as in neighbouring Iraq and Turkiye about the future of their rights.Though Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has promised constitutional protection for Kurdish language and political rights, analysts question if the decision to drop the “armed struggle” will imperil the struggle to secure Kurdish rights and identity.“We want this day to be the beginning of a true transition from the battlefields to the fields of construction, and from the era of weapons to the era of peace,” SDF leader Mazloum Abdi (also known as Mazloum Kobani) said from the presidential palace in Damascus late last month.Abdi said an “important page” had been turned in Syria’s history.While some Kurdish politicians hail the integration as a door for the Kurds to participate in building the new Syria and to demand their rights through the constitution, others consider the step a result of Turkish and US pressure.Turkiye has calculated close ties with the Syrian government, which came to power after Bashar al-Assad was toppled in December 2024, and has attacked ...