Arab demonstrators in Hasaka demanded control of the city’s governing institutions as Kurdish residents staged counter-protests, footage showed. State-affiliated security forces fired into the air to disperse demonstrators. The confrontation centers on who holds authority in a city where a compromise currently allows Kurdish officials to retain influence.
Authority under negotiation
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) controlled Hasaka until an agreement with the central government in January 2026, following clashes between the SDF and Damascus. The Syrian government is now seeking to integrate the SDF into the new Syrian army, and some Kurdish commanders have retained senior positions. Sipan Hamo, a prominent SDF commander, became a deputy defense minister.
That arrangement hasn’t ended the dispute over who governs. Arab demonstrators have protested against the Kurdish population and demanded control of governing institutions, according to reports. Tensions rose after protesters targeted Kurdish symbols, including flags and an image of a woman’s braid, recently adopted as a symbol of Kurdish resistance in northeast Syria, also known as Rojava. Kurdish residents then held counter-protests, leading to confrontations with state-affiliated security forces.
Hasaka Governor Nour al-Din Ahmed said on Friday that opponents of the integration agreement were fueling unrest. “Some figures and parties oppose the agreement [between the SDF and Damascus] and do not want it to be implemented. So they have sought to play with the emotions of the community by finding pretexts to mobilize the public.” Ahmed, whom the SDF appointed and Damascus approved, is a key figure in efforts to reconcile former SDF-held areas with the central government and integrate their institutions.
Former SDF commander Mazloum Abdi spoke in Hasaka province on Friday and reiterated his commitment to integration. When the tensions will subside remains unclear. Under the arrangement, the central government leads a process involving former SDF institutions and commanders, while residents contest who gets control over the city’s institutions.
Calls for dialogue, and the record on the ground
The United States, which has backed the SDF since 2015, urged all parties to reject violence and resolve differences through dialogue. A State Department spokesperson told Rudaw’s Diyar Kurda that the United States was “closely monitoring and concerned by reports of unrest in Hasakah.” The department also said it “supports a unified, sovereign Syria in which Kurds and all other communities enjoy equal citizenship, security, and meaningful participation in governance.” It urged the Syrian government, which includes Kurdish leaders, and local authorities to uphold their commitments and take practical steps to rebuild trust.
The Kurdish National Council in Syria (KNC) said the future of the Syrian Jazira region can’t be built through exclusion or division. It called for partnership, protection of everyone’s dignity and rights, respect for ethnic and cultural differences, and dialogue. The council said this approach would support “a democratic, pluralistic Syria founded on freedom and justice.”
The conflict runs deeper than statements or institutional arrangements. Kurdish-language instruction in schools and the use of Kurdish on government signs are among the sources of conflict. Relations between Arab tribes and former SDF members have remained strained. In September, a Kurdish soldier was murdered, while other Kurds died in a prison riot in Kobane. Efforts to preserve stability have often meant people responsible on either side haven’t faced charges.
Some demonstrators carried an image of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein during a protest on Friday. Many Kurds see the image as hostile because of the genocide Saddam committed against the Kurdish population in Iraq; several Arab tribes near Hasaka have longstanding ties to Iraqi tribes and historically tended to support him.
Syrian state media appeared to ignore the clashes, while North Press also largely avoided reporting on them. On Sunday, the Syrian government announced a national approach to combating hate speech, with national institutions and experts from the Office of the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria discussing priorities and coordination. A workshop can address public discourse. Whether the authorities’ calls for trust and dialogue reach the people confronting one another in the streets remains unclear.