Syria's President Issues Historic Decree Recognizing Kurdish as National Language Amid Post-Clash Tensions

 

Short Summary 

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has issued a landmark decree formally recognizing Kurdish as a national language alongside Arabic, restoring citizenship to stateless Kurds, and declaring Newroz a paid national holiday. This is the first official acknowledgment of Kurdish rights since Syria's 1946 independence. The move follows deadly clashes in Aleppo and the SDF's withdrawal from areas like Deir Hafer, as the government seeks national unification after overthrowing Bashar al-Assad in 2024. Kurdish leaders called it a positive first step but insufficient without constitutional guarantees.

Long Summary 

In a significant development amid ongoing tensions in northern Syria, President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued a presidential decree on January 16, 2026, granting unprecedented rights to the country's Kurdish minority. The decree formally designates Kurdish as a "national language" alongside Arabic, allowing its teaching in schools, recognizes Kurdish identity as integral to Syria's national fabric, and abolishes the discriminatory 1962 census in Hasakah province that stripped many Kurds of citizenship. It restores full Syrian nationality to affected individuals, including those previously stateless, declares the Kurdish Newroz festival a paid national holiday, bans ethnic or linguistic discrimination, and imposes penalties for inciting ethnic strife.

This marks the first formal recognition of Kurdish national rights since Syria's independence in 1946, addressing decades of marginalization under previous regimes, including the Assad era.

The decree comes in the wake of fierce clashes in Aleppo earlier in January 2026, which killed at least 23 people and displaced tens of thousands from Kurdish-majority neighborhoods like Sheikh Maqsud. The violence highlighted deep fault lines as al-Sharaa's government pushes to unify Syria under central control following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.

Subsequently, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) withdrew from Aleppo's Kurdish pockets and, on January 17, from areas east of the city, including the town of Deir Hafer. The Syrian army announced full control over Deir Hafer and surrounding regions previously held by the SDF, describing the operation as securing national sovereignty.

The SDF, which controls oil-rich northeastern Syria and was a key U.S. ally against ISIL, has been in stalled negotiations with Damascus to integrate its forces and administration into state institutions—a process agreed in principle in March 2025 but delayed. SDF leader Mazloum Abdi cited mediation by friendly countries for the withdrawal, aiming to redeploy forces east of the Euphrates.

Kurdish authorities welcomed the decree as a "first step" but emphasized that true rights require permanent constitutional protections reflecting Syria's diverse society, rather than temporary decrees.

The developments underscore challenges in integrating the SDF while addressing Kurdish aspirations, with Turkey—an ally of Damascus—viewing the SDF's core YPG as linked to the PKK terrorist group. As Syria rebuilds after years of civil war, this gesture signals efforts toward inclusion, though broader unification remains fragile.