Syria’s Kurds After Assad
Months after dictator Bashar al-Assad fled Syria, the country’s Kurdish population faces continued uncertainty — and Turkish air strikes. A photo series by Angéline Desdevises portrays the hardships of Kurds adapting to an ever-unstable reality.
A mother throws flowers on the grave of her son, a Kurdish fighter killed in action. (Courtesy of Angéline Desdevises)
More than six months since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, the fate of Syria’s Kurdish population remains uncertain. While new president Ahmed al-Sharaa declared a new interim constitution in March, the great unmentioned question was the Kurds’ place in the new state. Added to this is the ever-dangerous military situation. Air strikes from neighboring Turkey have multiplied in the autonomous region of northern and eastern Syria, driving thousands of families into exile.
On the Euphrates, the Tishrin Dam is the scene of clashes between the (mostly Kurdish-led) Syrian Democratic Forces and armed pro-Turkish groups, costing the lives of many civilians. At the same time, the jihadist threat is growing, and some 39,000 families accused of being affiliated with ISIS have taken refuge in the al-Hol camp in the north of the country. From Qamishli to Kobane, via Hasakah and Raqqa, the fate of the people of Rojava is more threatened than ever.
Over the last two years, photogropher and writer Angéline Desdevises has traveled through Turkey and Syria. In this photo series shot against the backdrop of the recent fall of the Assad regime, she portrays life in northeastern Syria after years of conflict.
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