Following attacks that began on Jan. 6 by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), ISIS, and Turkey-affiliated paramilitary groups targeting the Kurdish neighborhoods of Eşrefiye (Ashrafieh) and Şêxmeqsûd (Sheikh Maqsoud) in Aleppo—and later expanding across Rojava—Kurds and their friends took to the streets in multiple locations to protest the assaults. Demonstrations held throughout Kurdistan and across Europe prominently emphasized messages of national unity.

 

Assessing recent developments and the unity message, Yüksel Genç stated that the resistance against ISIS in Kobani during 2014–2015 marked one of the most significant phases in the formation of modern Kurdish nationhood. She added that the attacks on Rojava accelerated what he described as a “fluid” process of nation-building. “Wherever you are in the world, if people focus on shared concerns and existential risks, a process of nation formation is already underway,” she said.

 

A SENSE OF GLOBAL UNITY 

 

Yüksel Genç noted that the attacks strengthened shared reflexes and concerns among Kurds, reinforcing a sense of global unity and forming an international Kurdish line. She stated that the submission imposed by HTS and allied forces was thwarted through the Kurdish people’s struggle grounded in unity. “If a process of genocide and massacre was prevented in Rojava, it should be seen as the outcome produced by the strength of national unity,” Yüksel Genç said.

 

 ‘THE STRUGGLE FOR UNITY STRENGTHENED THE NEGOTIATING TABLE’

 

Referring to the Peace and Democratic Society Process in Turkey, Yüksel Genç said the initiative launched about a year and a half ago had not yet generated a strong sense of political agency among Kurds and that talks held in prison conditions remained limited. She stated that recent struggle for unity has strengthened the negotiating table and added: “National unity is at a critical point for the process and could also block attempts to deny the existence of Kurds in Turkey. If Kurds across the world are converging around the same sentiment, it is the result of a struggle spanning many years.”

 

Yüksel Genç described Abdullah Öcalan as the principal actor behind this struggle, crediting him with advancing the idea that a nation can exist without a state. “The streets demonstrated how this vision could take shape,” she said. “They showed that nationhood without a state is possible. A process compatible with the concept of a democratic nation has emerged. The nation-building movement revealed in Rojava indicates that the dominant political sphere has been transcended.”

 

She added that public demands have increasingly centered on nationalization, accompanied by a strong call for politicians across all regions to adjust their strategies accordingly.

 

INSPIRATION FOR STATELESS PEOPLES

 

Yüksel Genç emphasized that Kurdish unity represents a critical threshold not only for Kurds but also for other peoples. She concluded: “It has become a source of strength and inspiration regarding existence for stateless peoples. Communities and faith groups have learned methods to preserve their presence. The model of nationhood without a state will strongly influence the future of all peoples and beliefs.”

 

MA / Fethi Balaman - Rukiye Payiz Adıgüzel