Kurds will demand federal rule in new Syrian constitution — report

QAMISHLI, Syria — Syrian Kurds are set to demand a federal system in post-Assad Syria that would allow regional autonomy and security forces, a senior Kurdish official tells Reuters, doubling down on a decentralized vision opposed by the interim president.

The demand for federal rule has gathered momentum as alarm spread through Syria’s minorities over last month’s mass killings of Alawites, while Kurdish groups have accused interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and his Islamist group of setting the wrong course for the new Syria and monopolizing power.

Rival Syrian Kurdish parties, including the dominant faction in the Kurdish-run northeast, agreed on a common political vision — including federalism — last month, Kurdish sources say. They have yet to officially unveil it.

Kurdish-led groups took control of roughly a quarter of Syrian territory during the 14-year civil war. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, backed by the US, last month signed a deal with Damascus on merging Kurdish-led governing bodies and security forces with the central government.

While committed to that deal, Kurdish officials have objected to the way Syria’s governing Islamists are shaping the transition from Bashar al-Assad’s rule, saying they are failing to respect Syria’s diversity despite promises of inclusivity.

Badran Jia Kurd, a senior official in the Kurdish-led administration, tells Reuters that all Kurdish factions had agreed on a “common political vision” which emphasises the need for “a federal, pluralistic, democratic parliamentary system.”

His written statements in response to questions from Reuters mark the first time an official from the Kurdish-led administration has confirmed the federalism goal since the Kurdish parties agreed on it last month.