On January 29, the Syrian government announced a comprehensive agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) This represents a major blow to the autonomy the Kurds had maintained in the east of the country with US support, under the guise of the war against the Islamic State. Rohilat Afrin, commander of the Women's Protection Units (YPJ) and a member of the Syrian Democratic Forces' general command, describes a negotiation process marked by tension, mistrust, and pressure on the ground.

The summit of the international coalition against the Islamic State, held this week in Riyadh, has left clear signs of a political change. Syria returns to the international tableWith the explicit support of Saudi Arabia and the United States, Damascus, after years of isolation, without Assad (the Syrian president overthrown a year ago who had tolerated the growth of the Islamic State in areas controlled by rebels and Kurds), has become a direct interlocutor in the fight against the Islamic State. And in this shift, the Kurds, who until now have been central partners in the Western strategy on the ground, are relegated to a secondary role. The meeting, co-chaired by the Saudi kingdom and the US, brought together representatives from the more than 80 member countries of the coalition. The Syrian presence was symbolic: it is a recognition of its active participation in the new coordination framework. With the presence of Tom Barrack, the US special envoy, the meeting concluded that the new plan relies on Syrian state institutions. Washington and Riyadh believe that, after more than a decade of war and sanctions, any lasting strategy against the Islamic State requires working with Damascus. At the summit, the US discourse focused on the need to normalize operational channels with the Syrian government to avoid security vacuums. Barrack argued that the current phase demands strengthening state and regional cooperation rather than relying exclusively on local armed actors; in other words, Washington is adjusting its priorities. This adjustment directly affects the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which for years has been the coalition's main ally in the northeast of the country. The SDF has spearheaded the offensive against the Islamic State's territorial caliphate and has paid a heavy human cost. They have controlled prisons holding thousands of jihadist fighters and administered camps like Al-Hol, where tens of thousands of relatives of group members are held. Their role has been crucial.

The ceasefire announced this Sunday in northeastern Syria puts an end, in theory, to the most intense fighting recorded. since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regimeBut it doesn't usher in a lasting peace. Above all, it marks the end. of a decade of Kurdish autonomy in the east of the country and the gradual reimposition of Damascus's authority over territory that had slipped from its control since 2012.

Violence erupted again in Syria this week when a soldier was killed in clashes with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Aleppo province, the Defense Ministry reported through state media. The incident revives doubts about the integration agreement signed in March between the SDF and the interim government, designed to heal rifts in post-Assad Syria.

The founder and imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Abdullah Öcalan, has called for an end to armed struggle and a move towards the dissolution of the organisation. This move marks a milestone in the long and contentious confrontation between the Kurdish militia and the Turkish state. After more than four decades of struggle, this message, relayed on Tuesday, could drastically change the course of the relationship between the PKK and Turkey, as well as the dynamics in the Kurdish region and in Turkey's international relations.

Police in Norway have confirmed the identity of a body found on the coast earlier this year. It is of a boy, a little more than a year old. Artin, who died in the English Channel after the small fishing boat in which he was traveling with four other members of his family sank. The bodies of Artin's parents and two siblings had been recovered, along with another 19 bodies, but the baby had been reported missing. According to the NGO Hengaw, there were 28 people on the boat. They were trying to reach England from France.