KDP leader concerned about future of Rojava, highlights ‘tragedy’ in Afrin

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) Masoud Barzani on Tuesday expressed concerns about the fate of Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava), and in particular, the situation in Afrin, describing what the city has endured as a tragedy.

Barzani’s words came during a meeting with a delegation from the Afrin Civil Liberation Council in Erbil.

According to a statement by Barzani’s office, both sides discussed the political and humanitarian situation in Afrin, highlighting various forces “threatening demographic change in the city.”

In its June report, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) detailed large-scale rights abuses in areas under Turkish control, such as Afrin which was taken in March by Turkey from the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG).

OHCHR also expressed concerns that permitting ethnic Arabs to occupy houses of Kurds who have fled effectively prevents the Kurds from returning to their homes and may be an attempt to change the ethnic composition of the area permanently.

Barzani expressed his worries “about the future of Syrian Kurdistan, and the situation in Afrin, declaring that what is happening in Afrin is an extension of the series of tragedies and injustices committed against the people of Kurdistan,” the KDP leader’s office said.

In early October, a well-known Syrian activist, Loubna Mrie, claimed to have documented human rights violations in the Afrin region and said the people of the city are facing “extreme demographic changes.”

The delegation also congratulated Barzani for his party’s victory in the regional parliamentary elections held on Sept. 30. Out of 111 seats – 11 of which are reserved for minorities – the KDP won 45, with the runner-up, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), securing 21.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany