Northern Syria: Urgent Action Needed to Protect Civilians and Enable Aid Delivery
We, the undersigned human rights organisations, express our concern over the ongoing deterioration of the humanitarian and human rights situation in northern Syria in the aftermath of recent military operations in the region.
Since January 2026, military operations conducted in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighbourhoods of Aleppo have expanded to other areas, including the eastern bank of the Euphrates River. These operations have reportedly resulted in significant civilian casualties, large-scale forced displacement, and the continued disappearance of dozens to hundreds of individuals, according to local sources and human rights organizations, raising grave concerns regarding the protection of civilians and compliance with international humanitarian and human rights law.
A substantial number of forcibly displaced civilians have sought refuge in Kobani, a town on the Syrian-Turkish border, whose population has increased dramatically in a short period of time. Kobani remains effectively isolated from the rest of Syria, while humanitarian needs have reached critical levels. Humanitarian assistance and civil society support for civilians in Kobani remain severely restricted due to the continued closure of Türkiye’s Mürşitpınar Border Gate, in place since 2016, despite the evident humanitarian emergency.
We are deeply alarmed that the approach adopted by the Syrian transitional authorities toward ethnic and religious communities, including Kurdish populations, risks reinforcing exclusion, insecurity, and further displacement. Any credible and sustainable political transition in Syria must be grounded in full respect for equality, citizenship, and cultural and linguistic rights for all communities.
We, the undersigned organisations, urge the Turkish authorities to:
- Immediately open the Mürşitpınar Border Gate to allow the safe, rapid, and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance to civilians in Kobani and surrounding areas, in line with Türkiye’s obligations under international humanitarian law.
- Ensure that border and security policies do not further aggravate the humanitarian crisis or impede life-saving assistance to civilian populations fleeing violence.
We call on the European Union and its Member States to:
- Urgently engage with the Turkish authorities to facilitate humanitarian access to northern Syria through diplomatic and political channels.
- Increase humanitarian support to affected populations in northern Syria, particularly internally displaced persons and host communities.
- Closely monitor the conduct of all parties in Syria, including the transitional authorities and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and ensure accountability for violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.
- Support an inclusive political process that guarantees the rights, safety, and equal citizenship of all ethnic and religious communities as a prerequisite for stability and peace.
Signatories:
- EuroMed Rights
- Kaos GL Association
- Rosa Women Association
- Human Rights Association (İHD)
- KISA – Action for Equality, Support, Antiracism
- Libya Crimes Watch
- Diyarbakır Bar Association Children’s Rights Center
- Foundation For Society and Legal Studies (TOHAV)
- Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR)
- Syrians for Truth and Justice (STJ)
- Association for Monitoring Equal Rights (AMER)
- The New Woman Foundation
- Truth Justice Memory Center
- Equal Citizenship Center (ECC)
- Women for Women’s Human Rights – New Ways (WWHR)
- Huquqyat
- Ligue des droits de l’Homme (LDH)