On the situation in Northeast Syria, the violence against civilians and the need to maintain a sustainable ceasefire

B100136/2026

European Parliament resolution on the situation in Northeast Syria, the violence against civilians and the need to maintain a sustainable ceasefire

(2026/2602(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on Syria,

– having regard to United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254 (2015) of 18 December 2015,

– having regard to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the additional protocols thereto,

– having regard to statements by the European External Action Service on the situation in Syria,

– having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas repeated outbreaks of violence in different parts of Syria, including the ambushing of Alawites in the Syrian coastal regions and of Druze in the south of the country, the attack on the Mar Elias Church by a jihadist group, and destabilisation attempts by partisans of Bashar al-Assad and by Daesh forces, as well as the large quantity of arms in circulation, create a fragmented and volatile security situation in the country, undermining prospects for a stable, inclusive and Syrian-led political transition; whereas while Iran and Russia have a reduced influence on the current situation, other actors, such as Israel and Türkiye, are still using Syria as an arena for their indirect rivalries;

B. whereas the Syrian authorities’ agenda to centralise the country does not correspond with the autonomy that has developed in north-east Syria; whereas the Syrian authorities undertook political negotiations in parallel with military actions to achieve their objectives; whereas military operations affecting north-east Syria have taken place with the direct or indirect involvement, support or acceptance of external actors, including Türkiye; whereas in January 2026, the Syrian authorities launched an offensive in Aleppo and later extended their military actions to north-east Syria and the region around Kobane and Qamishli;

C. whereas fighting between militias affiliated to the Syrian army and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) had severe humanitarian consequences on the stricken population of north-east Syria resulting from repeated attacks on essential civilian infrastructure, including water facilities, electricity networks and healthcare services; whereas the SDF accuses the Syrian government forces of capturing oilfields and the Tabqa Dam and of shelling near the Tishreen Dam; whereas the government forces accuse the SDF of targeting civilian buildings, including the Khaled Fajr Hospital in Aleppo, and of being responsible for disruptions to water supply; whereas Daesh had been responsible for major destruction in the region before it was defeated;

D. whereas international organisations and human rights bodies have documented unlawful killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention and the obstruction of humanitarian access during the clashes, potentially amounting to serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law; whereas the Kurdish community in particular, and within it women, children and other vulnerable groups, has been disproportionately affected; whereas women human rights defenders, women community leaders and women fighters have faced heightened risks of threats, abduction, ill treatment and gender-based violence; whereas these acts require prompt, independent and effective investigation;

E. whereas the United States and France have played an important diplomatic role in successive attempts to facilitate dialogue and reach agreements between Damascus and the SDF, with the aim of preventing escalation and preserving stability in north-east Syria;

F. whereas the agreement between the Syrian authorities and the SDF militia alliance is the first formal recognition of Kurdish national rights since Syria’s independence in 1946; whereas this agreement provides for the gradual integration of Kurdish forces and institutions into the state, including the army, the extension of civil and educational rights to Kurdish people, including making Kurdish a national language and granting nationality to stateless Kurds, and guarantees that displaced people will be allowed to return home; whereas under this agreement, the control of prisons, as well as oil and gas fields, will be transferred from the SDF to the Syrian Government;

G. whereas the international community has largely outsourced responsibility for guarding Daesh detainees and camps to Kurdish-led authorities, without establishing a sustainable international framework or contingency plans; whereas Kurdish fighters, including women combatants, have played a decisive role, in alliance with the Global Coalition against Daesh; whereas instability in north-east Syria seriously undermines the fight against Daesh; whereas recent fighting created uncertainty, allowing hundreds of Daesh detainees to escape; whereas the exact number of escapees remains unclear, and only some of them were later recaptured; whereas detention facilities are currently guarded by either the Syrian authorities or the SDF; whereas such an unclear situation poses a security risk for Syria, the region and Europe; whereas the gradual transfer of Daesh detainees to Iraq only displaces the problem, which lacks any prospect of a sustainable solution and engages Europe in new forms of dependency on the capacities and political will of third countries; whereas EU nationals remain among the detainees; whereas the situation of women and children in the al-Hol and al-Roj camps also remains unresolved, amid a deteriorating security environment and with humanitarian needs remaining acute;

H. whereas the US administration has clearly signalled its intention to put an end to Operation Inherent Resolve and to withdraw US troops fighting Daesh in Iraq and Syria;

I. whereas stability in Syria is a shared goal that can only be achieved through regional players refraining from military interventions and through a pluralistic political transition that includes credible representatives of all components of Syrian society, including ethnic and religious minorities, women and civil society; whereas in north-east Syria, Kurdish and Arab communities coexist and both have been exposed for years to violence, insecurity, forced displacement and violation of their fundamental rights through the atrocities committed by Daesh; whereas Daesh threatened not only the Kurdish population but also the Yazidis, who became the victims of genocide; whereas women were also disproportionately affected and in a particularly odious way;

J. whereas the EU remains one of the largest humanitarian donors to the Syrian population and has expressed its readiness to support early recovery, reconstruction and state-building efforts in a gradual, conditional and reversible manner;

K. whereas any EU development, reconstruction or stabilisation assistance must remain strictly conditional on tangible and verifiable progress on civilian protection, respect for ceasefire arrangements, human rights and the protection of all components of Syrian society;

1. Firmly condemns all acts of violence against civilians, including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention, forced displacement and damage to civilian infrastructure; stresses that such acts may constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law and, in certain circumstances, war crimes;

2. Expresses deep concern about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in north-east Syria, in predominantly Kurdish urban areas, including Kobane, Manbij and Qamishli, which have experienced repeated disruptions to essential services and damage to civilian infrastructure as well as mass displacement, food insecurity and limited access to healthcare, water and sanitation; highlights the specific and long-term vulnerabilities of women and children, notably exposure to violence, exploitation, recruitment and psychological trauma; calls for targeted protection measures for all, including women and girls, the provision of safe humanitarian access, gender-sensitive services, including psychosocial support, and protection for women human rights defenders and women-led civil society organisations across Syria;

3. Welcomes the recent agreement between the SDF and the Syrian transitional government; commends the diplomatic role played by France in facilitating the dialogue and reaching this accord; calls on all parties to refrain from any action that could lead to a new escalation of violence, to respect existing ceasefire arrangements, and to support mechanisms aimed at monitoring and sustaining ceasefire commitments; calls on all regional actors, including Türkiye, to refrain from any military action or support for armed groups that risks undermining the ceasefire, civilian protection and the prospects for an inclusive settlement; stresses that any security arrangements must comply with international law and must not result in forced displacement or demographic engineering;

4. Remains concerned about the situation in Kobane, which is under siege and where civilians are experiencing suffering, with uneven access to humanitarian assistance; urges all parties to refrain from any attempt to use violence and to respect the conditions of the 30 January 2026 agreement; demands that international organisations and civil society organisations be granted access to Kobane so that they can provide civilians with the necessary humanitarian assistance;

5. Deplores the fact that the international community had largely delegated responsibility for securing Daesh detainees and camps to Kurdish-led authorities without providing adequate political, financial and security guarantees or contingency planning; warns of the negative security prospect entailed by the uncertainty regarding the future administrative responsibility for the detention centres and camps;

6. Expresses grave concern in particular about the risk posed by Daesh fighters and affiliates who have escaped from detention facilities and camps in north-east Syria; warns that the gradual displacement of the problem of Daesh detainees to Iraq risks creating new forms of uncertainty and dependency on the capacities and political will of third countries; stresses, furthermore, that any transfer or release of adult Daesh fighters and suspects within Syria or to third countries, including Iraq or Türkiye, must remain subject to effective custody, monitoring and information-sharing arrangements, including in any cross-border transfers, to prevent escape or unmonitored movement, and that accountability must be ensured through the preservation of evidence and through prosecution, in line with international standards and fair trial guarantees; warns that transfers and repatriations without effective safeguards and judicial follow-up would constitute a security risk for Syria, the wider region and Europe;

7. Stresses that the continued presence of EU nationals among Daesh detainees constitutes a direct responsibility of the Member States and that failure to address this issue undermines both regional and European security;

8. Takes note of the international conference co-organised by the United States, Saudi Arabia and France in Riyad, bringing together relevant international and regional actors to address the security situation in north-east Syria; regrets the US administration’s decision to end Operation Inherent Resolve and to withdraw US troops from Syria and Iraq; calls for the EU, its Member States and like-minded countries to step up their efforts to combat any resurgence of Daesh, which would threaten the security of Syria, the region and Europe; calls for the EU and the Member States, in addition, to take concrete action to secure the long-term management of Daesh detainees and camps, and to pursue the repatriation of EU nationals when needed, and their prosecution;

9. Reiterates its call on the Member States to repatriate all their nationals, especially children, from al-Hol and al-Roj camps and to bring adults to justice in fair trials; emphasises that robust risk assessment and reintegration support are important elements of any repatriation process; stresses the need for enhanced protection for women, including safe humanitarian access and gender-sensitive services;

10. Insists that the protection of Syria’s ethnic and religious diversity, including the full recognition, political participation and equal rights of the Kurdish community, is essential for safeguarding civil peace and ensuring a stable and inclusive Syria;

11. Recalls the decisive contribution of Kurdish forces in the fight against Daesh, including the role of women combatants, and commends their excellent cooperation, with the international coalition in the EU’s fight against the terror committed by Daesh and the threat posed to Europe, its people and its capital cities; underlines that lasting stability in Syria requires recognition of Kurdish sacrifices, legitimate security concerns and political representation, including safeguards for women’s rights and women’s meaningful participation in public life;

12. Reaffirms the EU’s commitment to a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process under UN auspices, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254 (2015); calls on the European External Action Service and the Member States to intensify diplomatic efforts aimed at de-escalation, civilian protection and confidence building in Syria and its north-eastern region; recognises France’s leading role in these endeavours;

13. Recalls the role of the EU as one of the largest humanitarian donors to the Syrian population; welcomes the Commission’s financial support package of approximately EUR 620 million for 2026 and 2027 and calls for the EU and its Member States to sustain humanitarian assistance and early recovery support in north-east Syria, with a particular focus on civilian protection, the resilience of local communities and support for Syrian civil society, independent human rights organisations and local peace-building initiatives; stresses the importance of predictable, multi-year humanitarian funding for Syria in order to ensure the continuity of life-saving assistance and to enable early recovery activities; underlines the importance of applying an approach in Syria that is based on the humanitarian, development, and peace nexus; reaffirms that EU support and the suspension of sanctions are conditional and reversible;

14. Stresses that any engagement with Syrian authorities must remain conditional on tangible and verifiable progress on civilian protection, and respect for ceasefire arrangements, human rights and minority rights;

15. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the United Nations, and the relevant Syrian and regional actors, and calls for this resolution to be translated into Arabic.