New Delhi

More than 200 activists, artists and academics from India and abroad on Saturday issued a joint statement expressing solidarity with women in North and East Syria (Rojava), alleging that the region is under attack by Syria’s interim government and allied fundamentalist factions.

The signatories said the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria — which they described as a women-led model of democratic and equal coexistence — is facing what they termed a “genocidal campaign of destruction”.

“For the past 14 years, the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, often known as the Rojava revolution, has built a unique democratic project that stands as a model for free and equal coexistence,” the statement said.

According to the activists, the interim government under President al-Shaara has effectively declared war on this project. They alleged that the situation has sharply deteriorated since January 6, with reports of kidnappings of women and sexual violence by fundamentalist groups.

The statement described the current escalation as a direct assault on women’s rights, highlighting what it called systematic violence, feminicide and the use of women’s bodies as instruments of war.

Particular concern was raised over the siege of Kobane, a city known for its role in the defeat of the Islamic State group. The activists alleged that a blockade of the city led to shortages of water, food and electricity, resulting in the deaths of several children.

“The current war against the peoples of North and East Syria is an aggression against all of us,” the statement said, calling on women in India and across the world to view the struggle of Rojava women as their own.

While welcoming the halt in hostilities announced on January 30 following days of intense violence, the signatories demanded a durable peace that constitutionally guarantees the rights of the Kurdish people and safeguards the achievements of the women’s movement.

Prominent signatories include economist Jean Drèze, dancer and activist Mallika Sarabhai, filmmaker Anand Patwardhan, former Lucknow University vice-chancellor Roop Rekha Verma, writer Ram Puniyani and activist Shabnam Hashmi.

Rojava, a largely Kurdish self-governed region in northeast Syria, has witnessed renewed fighting as Syrian government forces and allied groups seek to reassert control. Despite ceasefire efforts, shelling and civilian casualties have been reported.

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On January 30, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian government agreed to a ceasefire aimed at stabilising the situation and outlining steps for phased integration of forces and institutions.