French MP calls on Paris to protect Kurds in Syria
Damascus, Syria (North Press) – A French lawmaker on Tuesday called on Paris to use its diplomatic weight to protect Kurds in Syria, following recent events in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods of Aleppo.
In a statement posted on his account on the X platform, Thomas Portes, French National Assembly Deputy, said that he had issued a formal appeal to French President Emmanuel Macron, joined by the leaders of the parliamentary groups of La France Insoumise, the Greens, and the Communists, urging France to deploy its full diplomatic influence to protect the Kurdish people in Syria.
Portes added that the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods “have been under siege for seven days, with roads remaining closed and access to basic goods restricted.”
He indicated that “figures indicate at least 150,000 displaced people, in addition to hundreds of dead and wounded.”
The French MP pointed out that more than 300 Kurds have been arrested, while thousands of civilians remain trapped inside the two neighborhoods, “with entry and exit prohibited as Syrian army forces continue to control the entrances despite the absence of Kurdish armed elements inside the areas.”
He also said that “serious violations have been recorded, including the imposition of ransoms on civilians in exchange for the release of detained Kurds,” calling on France to reclaim an active role in relaunching intra–Syrian dialogue and to engage as a guarantor of a political solution that would achieve peace.
On Jan. 6, 2026, Syrian government forces launched a large-scale attack on the Kurdish neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh in Aleppo to push away the Kurdish Internal Security Forces (Asayish), that were operating in the neighborhoods in implementation of the April 1 agreement between the two sides.
Speaking at a press conference held via Zoom, Ilham Ahmad, Co-Chair of the AANES’ Foreign Relations Department, said that the assault resulted in the death of 48 people and the injury of 118 others. Other reports noted to the arrest of about 300 Kurdish civilians and the displacement of more than 140,000 others.