Hediya Yousef

In March 2016, Hediya Yousef was elected co-president of the Executive Council of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (then called the Democratic Federation of Rojava – Northern Syria), a de facto autonomous region covering approximately 16 percent of Syrian territory.^[5] Upon her election, Yousef described the council’s mission as establishing “a wider and more comprehensive system” in areas liberated from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), one that “gives rights to all groups to represent themselves and to form their own administrations.”^[7]

Highlighting the principle of co-governance and the federation’s aim to ensure inclusive representation of Syria’s diverse ethnic groups, primarily Kurds and Arabs, Kurdish teacher and activist Abdulsalem Mohammed said that “Hediya [Yousef] represents Rojava and [Mansur] Selum represents northern Syria.” He added that this reflects the co-chair system’s commitment to ethnic inclusivity and gender equality.^[8]

In addition to her support for co-governance, Yousef has been a proponent of “democratic confederalism,” a political framework developed by Abdullah Öcalan, the honorary leader of the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK). In his writings from 2005, Öcalan described democratic confederalism as “not a state system [but] the democratic system of a people without a state.”^[9]

Yousef has expressed support for Western intervention in the Syrian civil war, particularly in efforts to combat ISIL. However, consistent with the principles of democratic confederalism, she opposes the establishment of a separate Kurdish state.^[4] “We will not allow the fragmentation of Syria,” she stated in July 2016. “We want the democratization of Syria.”^[10]

As the Syrian civil war progressed and the Rojava federation began to take shape, Hediya Yousef advocated for the inclusion of additional territories into the autonomous region. She publicly expressed her "desire for Manbij [a city in Aleppo Governorate then controlled by ISIL] to be part of the democratic federal area [of Rojava] after its liberation."^[11] This stance was part of a broader initiative aimed at unifying Rojava's Jazira, Kobani, and Afrin cantons into a contiguous and administratively coherent federation.

In June 2016, approximately three months after Yousef assumed her role as co-president, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)—a U.S.-backed^[12] alliance of Kurdish, Arab, and Assyrian militias—launched a military campaign to drive ISIL out of northern Syria and unify the Rojava cantons. On June 10, following the liberation of eight surrounding villages,^[13] the Manbij Military Council cut off ISIL's key supply route between Manbij and its de facto capital, Raqqa.^[14] Shortly afterward, the SDF captured the town of Osajli,^[15] and by June 20, they had seized control of Arima, marking significant progress toward territorial consolidation.^[16]

In July 2016, approximately six weeks after the launch of the Manbij offensive by the Syrian Democratic Forces, ISIL sustained heavy losses in the western and northern sectors of the city. Despite multiple attempts to break the siege, ISIL was unable to halt the SDF's advance.^[17] As the group’s expulsion from the city became imminent, Hediya Yousef announced that Manbij, a strategically important city, would be incorporated into the Rojava federation through a popular referendum.^[18][19] This move was seen as a significant step toward linking the previously non-contiguous cantons of Afrin and Kobani.^{[citation needed]}

On 21 July 2016, the SDF issued a 48-hour ultimatum demanding ISIL’s withdrawal from Manbij.^[20] ISIL refused to comply, prompting renewed clashes on July 22.^[21] By July 25, the Manbij Military Council , affiliated with the SDF, had seized control of most of the city. By August 5, the MMC had secured roughly 80 percent of Manbij,^[22] and on August 6, the SDF declared "almost complete control" over the city.^[23] Final liberation was achieved on August 15, 2016, marking a decisive victory in the SDF’s campaign to unify northern Syria under the federal model.^[24]