The SDF warns that the Syrian Army is about to undermine the ceasefire

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have warned that the Syrian Army is still attacking its positions in northeastern Syria in a violation of the ceasefire signed last week and that it is now in serious danger.

The fighting is concentrating right now, according to the Kurdish-Arab militias, the security force of the autonomous region of northeastern Syria, in the regions of Jazira and, especially, Kobane, where according to the pro-Kurdish Turkish party of the People’s Party for Equality and Democracy (DEM), very close to the Syrian Kurdish authorities, a true humanitarian catastrophe is looming because “half a million civilians are trapped without water, food or fuel” due to the siege of Damascus.

“Military concentrations and logistical movements have been observed, which clearly indicates the intention to escalate the situation and lead the region towards a new confrontation. In this context, our forces were subjected to two separate attacks today in the Jazira region, which constitutes a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement,” the SDF warns.

“While our forces have complied and continue to comply with the terms of the ceasefire agreement, we affirm that the military preparations undertaken by the Government in Damascus totally contradict its obligations and reveal deliberate efforts to undermine detente and drive the situation towards war rather than towards political solutions,” they add.

The Syrian Government has denied all these accusations and blames the SDF for violating the ceasefire. In a statement carried by the official Syrian news agency SANA, the head of Arab Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mohamed Taha al Ahmad, regretted that the SDF has not yet responded to the requests of the Syrian Government to appoint its political representatives in Damascus, as stipulated in the agreement and, in general, “there has been no positive response on its part.”

“On the contrary, there have been continuous violations of truces and ceasefires,” lamented Al Ahmad. “All options are available, along with providing calm and dialogue to enforce the law, make Syria united and ensure that the rights of the Syrian people are protected, away from oppression and threats, and served with the best services,” he indicated.

CATASTROPHE IN KOBANE

The Kurdish Red Crescent has reported that five children have already died of cold in Kobane amid the Syrian Army siege, while the DEM estimates that “approximately 500,000 civilians are trapped” amid “a total blackout” and constant water cuts.

“The intensification of attacks has triggered a growing wave of internal displacement, forcing families into even more precarious conditions,” the DEM has warned.

Given the situation, the DEM calls for the “immediate” establishment of a humanitarian corridor to “allow the entry of heating fuel, warm clothing, flour, formula milk and drinking water” because right now the situation is even worse than the humanitarian catastrophe that occurred during the rule of the jihadist organization Islamic State.

It should be remembered that the SDF and its allies have denounced that there are elements of the Islamic State fighting side by side with the Damascus forces, led by the transitional president and former fundamentalist leader Ahmed al Shara.