Syria: the offensive in the north and east of the country threatens minority rights and dismantles key civilian spaces

• The new offensive in northern and eastern Syria brings an end to a decade of relative stability, seriously threatens the rights of minorities and dismantles democratic governance structures, while the international response remains insufficient.
• More than 150,000 people displaced in just a few days, the imposition of military control and the closure of community projects: northern and eastern Syria is entering a new phase of instability with severe consequences for the civilian population.
• The temporary closure of the four Hope League community football schools, promoted by NOVACT, the Barça Foundation and Casa Nostra Casa Vostra, highlights how the escalation of violence is directly affecting civilian initiatives focused on social cohesion and violence prevention, supported by Catalan development cooperation.

 

The rapid escalation of violence in northern and eastern Syria is putting at risk the stability achieved over the past decade and the fundamental rights of minorities in the country, particularly the Kurdish population.

According to United Nations data, the offensive by the Syrian army and allied militias has led to the displacement of more than 150,000 people in just a few days, as well as a sudden change in civil and military control in territories that until now were administered by local authorities and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The fighting began in early January in the Kurdish neighbourhoods of Sheikh Maksud and Ashrafiyeh in Aleppo and, within days, spread to strategic areas such as the Tishreen Dam, Tabqa and Raqqa. The military advance has been accompanied by internal defections and by the support of local tribal leaders for the imposition of control by the central government, as well as external interference, including that of Turkey and a strategic shift by the United States.

Political announcements with no real impact

From Damascus, President Ahmed Sharaa announced a unilateral ceasefire and issued several decrees, including the recognition of Kurdish as a national language, the restoration of citizenship to stateless Kurdish people, and the declaration of Newroz as a national holiday.

However, these announcements have not resulted in a real de-escalation of the conflict nor in effective guarantees of political participation for minorities. Negotiations between the Syrian transitional government and the SDF have failed to halt the offensive or to open a credible space for dialogue.

A recurring pattern of repression

The situation in the north and east of the country is part of a broader context of serious human rights violations, including massacres against the Druze community in southern Syria and ongoing killings targeting the Alawite community in the west of the country.

This scenario calls into question previous political agreements aimed at advancing a negotiated solution to the conflict, agreed under international supervision, and highlights a dynamic in which the use of force replaces political dialogue.

Risk of a resurgence of the Islamic State

The current destabilisation may facilitate the reactivation of Islamic State cells, as well as exacerbate the extreme vulnerability of detention centres and camps previously managed by the SDF, where thousands of fighters and family members remain under custody.

Direct impact on civilian projects: the case of the Hope League

The escalation of violence and growing instability have also led to the temporary closure of the four Hope League community football schools, a project promoted by the Barça Foundation, Escola de Futbol La Caserna, Un Ponte Per, DOZ International, iDare, Casa Nostra Casa Vostra and NOVACT, with the support of the Government of Catalonia. The schools are located in Kobane, Raqqa, Tiberspiye and Hassake.

The Hope League works through community-based football to promote coexistence, strengthen collective bonds and prevent radicalisation processes among children and young people, especially the sons and daughters of victims of the Islamic State.

One of the project’s promoters, former FC Barcelona player and member of La Caserna, Oleguer Presas, states that “the closure of schools that work to dismantle narratives of hatred and violence by offering positive alternatives of identity and belonging is deeply worrying and extremely serious.”

He also emphasises that “this is not only the closure of a community-based project with broad social support in the region, but also the interruption of an initiative supported and funded by the Government of Catalonia through the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation.”

 

 

Urgent call to European institutions and governments

In this context, NOVACT’s director, Luca Gervasoni, warns that the current escalation demonstrates the failure of the military approach and reinforces the urgent need for immediate de-escalation, an effective ceasefire and the resumption of mediated negotiations that guarantee political participation for all Syrian communities.

For all these reasons, NOVACT makes an urgent call on European, Spanish and Catalan institutions to:

• Demand the immediate cessation of hostilities and a ceasefire that allows negotiations to resume and ensures the protection of civilians.
• Clearly commit to a peaceful and democratic solution, built by Syrian society itself, with effective participation of civil society, including minorities, and guarantees of human rights.
• Strengthen multilateralism, diplomacy and the construction of nonviolence, rejecting any double standards in the application of international law.
• Support independent international monitoring and verification mechanisms that contribute to the protection of civilians, political transparency and the prevention of further escalation.
• Support Syrian civil society initiatives, especially those led by young people and women, to foster social cohesion, counter hate speech and promote a just and inclusive peace.
• Contribute to the sustainable development of the region by supporting employment, educational, cultural and sports opportunities, among others, for communities in northeastern Syria.