Northeast Syria is once again facing dangerous escalation. Renewed military operations by Syrian government forces and affiliated armed groups against areas administered by Kurdish-led authorities have triggered clashes with the Syrian Democratic Forces, placing civilians directly in harm’s way.
Thousands have been displaced, risks of gender-based violence have increased, and access to essential services such as healthcare and education has been further restricted.
This latest violence unfolds against the backdrop of more than a decade of conflict marked by mass displacement and widespread human rights violations, with women and girls bearing the brunt of its impacts. As political and military dynamics shift, women in the region warn that renewed attacks and pressure on local governance structures also threaten hard-won gains in gender equality and women’s participation in public and political life, underscoring the urgent need for civilian protection and de-escalation.
Nobel Women’s Initiative (NWI) recognizes the recent agreement reached between the Syrian government and Kurdish representatives in northeast Syria, including commitments related to a ceasefire and the integration of security and administrative structures. We welcome any step that has the potential to halt violence and reduce civilian suffering.However, commitments alone are insufficient: agreements must translate into real protection for civilians, respect for human rights, and the meaningful participation of women at all stages of implementation and oversight.
NWI remains deeply concerned by the intensifying violence affecting theAutonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES),known as Rojava, and surrounding areas. Established amid conflict, the AANES has sought to advance a system of democratic confederalism grounded in local governance, ethnic and religious pluralism, and gender equality-principles of particular significance in a region long shaped by armed conflict.Northeast Syria is home to diverse communities, including Kurdish, Assyrian, Arab, and other minority populations, whose coexistence and civilian life remain vulnerable during this period of transition.
The current escalation is linked to mounting military pressure on areas administered by the AANES following stalled negotiations and contested arrangements related to theMarch 10 agreement. This agreement, reached last year between the Syrian government and theSyrian Democratic Forces (SDF)which operate in areas administered by the AANES, intended to reduce hostilities, establish coordination mechanisms and clarify security responsibilities in and around AANES-administered areas. However, disagreements over its interpretation and implementation have prevented it from taking hold in practice.Instead of stabilization, the period following the agreement has been marked by renewed attacks and counter-attacks.
While the announcement of a ceasefire and a phased integration agreement represents an important development and a potential opening for de-escalation, its credibility now rests on effective and verifiable implementation. Reports indicate that civilians continue to face insecurity, restrictions on movement, and limited humanitarian access.The city of Kobane, in particular, continues to face a humanitarian emergency, with prolonged disruptions to electricity, water, health services, and aid delivery.The continued obstruction of humanitarian access not only deepens civilian suffering, but also risks undermining trust in the ceasefire and the broader prospects for sustainable peace.
NWI is also alarmed by ongoing concerns regarding detention facilities holding individuals affiliated with ISIS. Any failure to secure these facilities risks renewed violence and poses particular dangers for women and girls, who have been disproportionately targeted by ISIS through sexual violence, forced marriage, and imposition of practices amounting to gender apartheid. Ensuring the security of detention facilities is therefore essential to civilian protection and to regional and international stability.
As Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jody Williams has emphasized,
“Peace is not simply the absence of war, but the presence of justice, dignity, and security in people’s daily lives.”
This principle must guide all efforts to implement the current agreement in Northeast Syria, particularly at a time when trust has been repeatedly eroded by cycles of violence and unmet commitments.
Nobel Women’s Initiative calls on all parties to the conflict, as well as regional and international actors, particularly EU Member States and the United States, to act with urgency and responsibility. This includes:
- Ensuring full and sustained adherence to a ceasefire, supported by credible monitoring and accountability for violations;
- Using diplomatic and political leverage to press for the effective and just implementation of the. integration agreement, with clear benchmarks that prioritize civilian protection and human rights;
- Securing immediate and unhindered humanitarian access to the city of Kobane; allowing humanitarian actors to deliver life-saving assistance without obstruction;
- Supporting measures, in line with international humanitarian law and human rights law, to protect civilians and secure detention facilities, recognizing the heightened risks posed to women and girls by any breakdown insecurity;
- Promoting women’s full, equal, and meaningful participation in all stages of implementation and political decision-making.
Failure to act at this critical juncture risks deepening human suffering and undermining fragile efforts toward peace and stability. The international community must respond with clarity, consistency, and resolve.
END.
Issued by Nobel Women’s Initiative
Media Contact:
Daina Ruduša
Nobel Women’s Initiative is led by eight women Nobel Peace Prize laureates - Jody Williams (USA), Shirin Ebadi (Iran), Tawakkol Karman (Yemen), Leymah Gbowee (Liberia), Rigoberta Menchú Tum (Guatemala), Narges Mohammadi (Iran), Maria Ressa (Philippines) and Oleksandra Matviichuk (Ukraine). Women are crucial to attaining lasting peace, and yet in times of war and conflict they are seen as victims, and too often excluded from formal peace-building processes. The laureates know the importance of women peacebuilders, and the challenges they face firsthand. At NWI they work together to use the platform and access that the Nobel Peace Prize offers to elevate the voices and support the work of women peace activists around the world.