Demonstrations in Kurdistan Region urge international protection for Syrian Kurds

Shafaq News– Erbil/ Al-Sulaymaniyah

Protests erupted on Wednesday in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and in Al-Sulaymaniyah, against recent military operations in northern Syria, Shafaq News correspondent reported.

In Erbil, protesters gathered in front of the Erbil Citadel in the city center, holding placards in Kurdish, Arabic, and English condemning the recent fighting and calling for the protection of civilians.

Civil activist Aryan Mohammed told Shafaq News that the protest aimed to send a message to the United Nations and major powers that silence over events in northern Syria “is no longer acceptable,” calling for immediate and decisive international action to impose a safe zone to protect civilians.

On humanitarian conditions, Riber Kochar, a Syrian Kurdish resident of Erbil, stated that the situation inside Syria is dire, with thousands of families left without shelter, medicine, or food. He noted that the primary demand is the opening of safe humanitarian corridors to ensure the delivery of medical and food aid under international supervision, warning of an uncontrollable humanitarian catastrophe if action is delayed.

In Al-Sulaymaniyah, hundreds of residents took to the streets across several main roads. According to Shafaq News correspondent, protesters raised Kurdistan Region flags and banners, while urging the international community, the United Nations, and humanitarian organizations to intervene to stop the ongoing “bloodshed and violations against Kurdish civilians.”

Speaking to our agency, several demonstrators said that protests would continue until their demands are met, noting that Kurds have endured years of violence and injustice.

The Kurdistan Region currently hosts hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees who fled armed conflict, while cities across the region periodically witness civil actions expressing solidarity with the humanitarian situation in Kurdish areas of Syria.

Protests have swept cities across the Kurdistan Region in recent weeks, with demonstrators rallying in support of Kurds in Syria following clashes between the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian government in eastern Aleppo before spreading to Raqqa, Deir Ez-Zor, and Hasakah. Despite a ceasefire declared on January 18 and later extended by 15 days, fighting has persisted, with the United Nations reporting the displacement of more than 130,000 people.

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