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{{Short description|Syrian-Kurdish politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = Hediya Yousef<br >{{nobold|Hediya Yûsif}}
| name = Hediya Yousef<br />{{nobold|Hediya Yûsif}}
| image =
| image = Hediya Yousef.jpg
| office = Co-president of the Federation of Northern Syria - [[Rojava]]
| office = Co-president of the [[Executive Council (North and East Syria)|Executive Council]]
| alongside = [[Mansur Selum]]
| alongside = [[Mansur Selum]]
| term_start = March 2016
| term_start = 17 March 2016
| term_end =
| term_end = 18 July 2018
| predecessor = Position established
| predecessor = Position established
| birth_date = 1954
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1973}}
| nationality = [[Syria]]n ([[Rojava]]n)
| nationality = [[Syria]]n ([[Rojava]]n)
| party = [[Democratic Union Party (Syria)|Democratic Union Party]]| occupation= Politician
| party = [[Democratic Union Party (Syria)|Democratic Union Party]]
| occupation = Politician
}}
}}
'''Hediya Yousef''' ({{lang-ku|Hediya Yûsif}}, {{lang-ar|هدية يوسف}}) is a [[Syria]]n-[[Kurds in Syria|Kurdish]]<ref name=jazeera>{{cite web|url=http://isyandan.org/english/the-cezire-canton-an-arab-sheikh-and-a-woman-guerrilla-at-the-helm/|title=The Cezire Canton: An Arab Sheikh and A Woman Guerrilla at the Helm|publisher=Syandan|date=4 October 2014|accessdate=2016-07-19|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160809135306/http://isyandan.org/english/the-cezire-canton-an-arab-sheikh-and-a-woman-guerrilla-at-the-helm/|archivedate=9 August 2016|df=}}</ref> politician with the Northern Syria Federation. Since March 2016, she holds the office of co-chairperson of the executive committee of the [[Rojava]]. Yousef is an ethnic [[Kurds|Kurd]], and serves with fellow co-chairperson [[Mansur Selum]], an ethnic [[Arabs|Arab]].<ref name=recognition>{{cite web|url=http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/kurdish-pyd-declares-federalism-northern-syria-1311505605|title=Syrian Kurds declare new federation in bid for recognition|publisher=Middle East Eye|date=17 March 2016|accessdate=2016-07-19}}</ref>
'''Hediya Yousef''' ({{langx|ku|Hediya Yûsif}}, {{langx|ar|هدية يوسف}}) is a [[Kurds in Syria|Kurdish]]<ref name=jazeera>{{cite web|url=http://isyandan.org/english/the-cezire-canton-an-arab-sheikh-and-a-woman-guerrilla-at-the-helm/|title=The Cezire Canton: An Arab Sheikh and A Woman Guerrilla at the Helm|publisher=Syandan|date=4 October 2014|access-date=2016-07-19|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160809135306/http://isyandan.org/english/the-cezire-canton-an-arab-sheikh-and-a-woman-guerrilla-at-the-helm/|archive-date=9 August 2016}}</ref> politician from Syria who held the office of co-president of the [[Executive Council (North and East Syria)|Executive Council]] of [[Rojava]] from 17 March 2016 to 16 July 2018. Yousef is an ethnic [[Kurds|Kurd]], and served with fellow co-president [[Mansur Selum]], an ethnic [[Arabs|Arab]].<ref name=recognition>{{cite web|url=http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/kurdish-pyd-declares-federalism-northern-syria-1311505605|title=Syrian Kurds declare new federation in bid for recognition|publisher=Middle East Eye|date=17 March 2016|access-date=2016-07-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Fetah |first1=Vîviyan |title=Îlham Ehmed: Dê rêxistinên me li Şamê jî ava bibin |url=https://www.rudaw.net/kurmanci/middleeast/syria/170720181 |access-date=29 September 2019 |work=www.rudaw.net |agency=Rudaw Media Network |date=17 July 2018 |language=ku}}</ref>


==Early life==
==Early life==
⚫
In her twenties, Yousef, then a guerilla, had been imprisoned by the Assad government for two years in Damascus on charges of having been a member of a secret organization aiming to break up Syria.<ref name="nytimes.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/29/magazine/a-dream-of-utopia-in-hell.html|title=A Dream of Secular Utopia in ISIS' Backyard|date=29 November 2015|work=The New York Times|access-date=17 September 2016}}</ref><ref name=dailystar>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2016/Apr-13/347097-syrian-kurds-in-six-month-countdown-to-federalism.ashx|title=Syrian Kurds in six-month countdown to federalism|publisher=The Daily Star|date=13 April 2016|access-date=2016-07-19}}</ref>
[[File:Emblem of Jazira canton.png|thumb|upright|State emblem of the Jazeera (also spelled "Jazira") Canton]]
⚫
In her twenties, Yousef, then a guerilla, had been imprisoned by the Assad government for two years in Damascus on charges of having been a member of a secret organization aiming to break up Syria.<ref name="nytimes.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/29/magazine/a-dream-of-utopia-in-hell.html|title=A Dream of Secular Utopia in ISIS' Backyard|date=29 November 2015|work=The New York Times|accessdate=17 September 2016}}</ref><ref name=dailystar>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2016/Apr-13/347097-syrian-kurds-in-six-month-countdown-to-federalism.ashx|title=Syrian Kurds in six-month countdown to federalism|publisher=The Daily Star|date=13 April 2016|accessdate=2016-07-19}}</ref>


==Co-presidency of Jazeera Canton==
==Co-presidency of Jazeera Canton==
Yousef first held the office of co-president of [[Jazeera Canton]] in the northeast of the newly established Rojava federation. Yousef served as co-president with fellow co-president Humeydi Daham al-Hadi, an Arab tribal leader.<ref name="nytimes.com"/> Yousef's office was located in the former headquarters of the state-owned [[Syrian Petroleum Company]] in the oil-rich<ref name="thearabweekly.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.thearabweekly.com/?id=4381|title=Kurds' 'federal' project in Syria raises concerns|first=The Arab Weekly|last=http://www.thearabweekly.com/|publisher=|accessdate=17 September 2016}}</ref> city of Rmeilan,<ref name="nytimes.com"/> the city where the Rojava federation had been declared.<ref name="thearabweekly.com"/>
Yousef first held the office of co-president of [[Jazeera Canton]] in the northeast of the newly established Rojava federation. Yousef served as co-president with fellow co-president Humeydi Daham al-Hadi, an Arab tribal leader.<ref name="nytimes.com"/> Yousef's office was located in the former headquarters of the state-owned [[Syrian Petroleum Company]] in the oil-rich<ref name="thearabweekly.com">{{cite web |last=Hamlo |first=Khalil |date=25 March 2016 |title=Kurds' 'federal' project in Syria raises concerns |url=http://www.thearabweekly.com/?id=4381 |access-date=17 September 2016 |publisher=The Arab Weekly |archive-date=18 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118101542/http://www.thearabweekly.com//?id=4381 |url-status=dead }}</ref><!-- this source doesn't account for the office at the Syrian Petroleum Company headquarters --> city of [[Rmelan]],<ref name="nytimes.com"/> the city where the Rojava federation had been declared.<ref name="thearabweekly.com"/>


==="Co-governance" and Kurdish-Arab cooperation===
==="Co-governance" and Kurdish-Arab cooperation===

During her tenure as co-president, Yousef worked towards greater inter-sectarian cooperation particularly between Kurds and Arabs.<ref name=jazeera/> The Rojava federation, Yousef said, "is something beyond the nation-state. It's a place where all people, all minorities, and all genders are equally represented."<ref name="nytimes.com"/> Also during her tenure, Yousef pursued the policy of "co-governance" which, as she explained in an interview, ensures that "every position at every level of government in Rojava . . . includes a female equivalent of equal authority."<ref name="nytimes.com"/>
During her tenure as co-president, Yousef worked towards greater inter-sectarian cooperation particularly between Kurds and Arabs.<ref name=jazeera/> The Rojava federation, Yousef said, "is something beyond the nation-state. It's a place where all people, all minorities, and all genders are equally represented."<ref name="nytimes.com"/> Also during her tenure, Yousef pursued the policy of "co-governance" which, as she explained in an interview, ensures that "every position at every level of government in Rojava . . . includes a female equivalent of equal authority."<ref name="nytimes.com"/>


==Co-presidency of the Rojava federation==
==Co-presidency of the Rojava federation==
In March 2016, Yousef was elected co-president of the [[Federation of Northern Syria – Rojava|Rojava]] federation. The federation covered about 16 percent of Syria's land area.<ref name="thearabweekly.com"/> In an interview upon her election, Yousef described the mission of the committee as creating "a wider and more comprehensive system" in the areas liberated from the [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]] (ISIL) "that [gives] rights to all the groups to represent themselves and to form their own administrations."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-federalism-idUSKCN0X90M9|title=Syrian Kurds in six-month countdown to federalism|publisher=Reuters|date=12 April 2016|accessdate=2016-07-19}}</ref>
In March 2016, Yousef was elected co-president of the [[Federation of Northern Syria – Rojava|Rojava]] federation. The federation covered about 16 percent of Syria's land area.<ref name="thearabweekly.com"/> In an interview upon her election, Yousef described the mission of the committee as creating "a wider and more comprehensive system" in the areas liberated from the [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]] (ISIL) "that [gives] rights to all the groups to represent themselves and to form their own administrations."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-federalism-idUSKCN0X90M9|title=Syrian Kurds in six-month countdown to federalism|publisher=Reuters|date=12 April 2016|access-date=2016-07-19}}</ref>


Referring to the principle of co-governance's attempt to ensure that Syria is government so as to include the country's many ethnic groups (predominantly Arabs and Kurds), Abdulsalem Mohammed said that "Hediya [Yousef] represents Rojava and [Mansur] Selam represents northern Syria." Mohammed, a Kurdish teacher and activist from Qamishli, added that "This is based on the principle of our co-chair system and different nations, and equality between women and men."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/analysis-kurds-syria-rojava-1925945786|title=ANALYSIS: 'This is a new Syria, not a new Kurdistan'|publisher=|accessdate=17 September 2016}}</ref>
Referring to the principle of co-governance's attempt to ensure that Syria is government so as to include the country's many ethnic groups (predominantly Arabs and Kurds), Abdulsalem Mohammed said that "Hediya [Yousef] represents Rojava and [Mansur] Selam represents northern Syria." Mohammed, a Kurdish teacher and activist from Qamishli, added that "This is based on the principle of our co-chair system and different nations, and equality between women and men."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/analysis-kurds-syria-rojava-1925945786|title=ANALYSIS: 'This is a new Syria, not a new Kurdistan'|publisher=|access-date=17 September 2016}}</ref>
==="Democratic confederalism" and Kurdish separatism===
==="Democratic confederalism" and Kurdish separatism===
In addition to supporting the policy of "co-governance," Yousef also supports the policy of "[[Democratic Confederalism|democratic confederalism]]" which honorary [[Group of Communities in Kurdistan]] leader [[Abdullah Ocalan]] wrote in 2005 was "not a State system [but] the democratic system of a people without a State."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.freemedialibrary.com/index.php/Declaration_of_Democratic_Confederalism_in_Kurdistan|title=Declaration of Democratic Confederalism in Kurdistan - Free media library|publisher=|accessdate=17 September 2016|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160929163726/http://www.freemedialibrary.com/index.php/Declaration_of_Democratic_Confederalism_in_Kurdistan|archivedate=29 September 2016|df=}}</ref> Yousef has spoken in support of [[American-led intervention in Syria|Western intervention]] in the Syrian civil war but, in line with her democratic confederalist beliefs, opposes intervention for the purposes of establishing a Kurdish state separate from Syria.<ref name=dailystar /> "We will not allow the fragmentation of Syria," she said in July 2016. "We want the democratization of Syria."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sosyalistgazete.net/2016/07/11/hediye-yusuf-suriyenin-parcalanmasina-izin-vermeyecegiz/|title=Hediye Yusuf: Suriye'nin parçalanmasına izin vermeyeceğiz|date=11 July 2016|publisher=|accessdate=17 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910223439/http://www.sosyalistgazete.net/2016/07/11/hediye-yusuf-suriyenin-parcalanmasina-izin-vermeyecegiz/#|archive-date=2016-09-10|dead-url=yes|df=}}</ref>
In addition to supporting the policy of "co-governance," Yousef also supports the policy of "[[democratic confederalism]]" which honorary [[Group of Communities in Kurdistan]] leader [[Abdullah Ocalan]] wrote in 2005 was "not a State system [but] the democratic system of a people without a State."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.freemedialibrary.com/index.php/Declaration_of_Democratic_Confederalism_in_Kurdistan|title=Declaration of Democratic Confederalism in Kurdistan - Free media library|access-date=17 September 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160929163726/http://www.freemedialibrary.com/index.php/Declaration_of_Democratic_Confederalism_in_Kurdistan|archive-date=29 September 2016}}</ref> Yousef has spoken in support of [[American-led intervention in Syria|Western intervention]] in the Syrian civil war but, in line with her democratic confederalist beliefs, opposes intervention for the purposes of establishing a Kurdish state separate from Syria.<ref name=dailystar /> "We will not allow the fragmentation of Syria," she said in July 2016. "We want the democratization of Syria."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sosyalistgazete.net/2016/07/11/hediye-yusuf-suriyenin-parcalanmasina-izin-vermeyecegiz/|title=Hediye Yusuf: Suriye'nin parçalanmasına izin vermeyeceğiz|date=11 July 2016|access-date=17 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910223439/http://www.sosyalistgazete.net/2016/07/11/hediye-yusuf-suriyenin-parcalanmasina-izin-vermeyecegiz/|archive-date=2016-09-10|url-status=dead}}</ref>


==The Unification of Rojava==
==The Unification of Rojava==
As the Syrian civil war unfolded and the Rojava federation emerged, Yousef voiced her "desire for Manbij [a city in the Governorate of Aleppo then occupied by ISIL forces] to be part of the democratic federal area [of Rojava] after its liberation."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-federalism-idUSKCN0Z21FN|title=Federal plan for northern Syria advances with U.S.-backed forces|date=16 June 2016|publisher=|accessdate=17 September 2016|via=Reuters}}</ref> This was part of a wider campaign to unify the cantons of Rojava into a contiguous federation.
As the Syrian civil war unfolded and the Rojava federation emerged, Yousef voiced her "desire for Manbij [a city in the Governorate of Aleppo then occupied by ISIL forces] to be part of the democratic federal area [of Rojava] after its liberation."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-federalism-idUSKCN0Z21FN|title=Federal plan for northern Syria advances with U.S.-backed forces|date=16 June 2016|publisher=|access-date=17 September 2016|newspaper=Reuters|last1=Perry|first1=Tom}}</ref> This was part of a wider campaign to unify the cantons of Rojava into a contiguous federation.


===Early offensives===
===Early offensives===
⚫
Throughout June 2016, roughly three months after Yousef became co-president, U.S.-backed<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.defense.gov/News-Article-View/Article/791067/fights-to-retake-fallujah-manbij-city-from-isil-begin|title=Fights to Retake Fallujah, Manbij City From ISIL Begin|publisher=|access-date=17 September 2016|archive-date=14 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210314183350/http://www.defense.gov/News-Article-View/Article/791067/fights-to-retake-fallujah-manbij-city-from-isil-begin|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Syrian Democratic Forces]] (SDF) carried out a campaign to liberate the territories still held by ISIL in northern Syria and to unify the cantons. On June 10, less than a week after liberated eight surrounding villages<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aranews.net/2016/06/us-backed-sdf-advances-isis-near-manbij/|title=US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces advance against ISIS near Manbij, liberate eight villages - ARA News|date=4 June 2016|access-date=17 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160909232732/http://aranews.net/2016/06/us-backed-sdf-advances-isis-near-manbij/|archive-date=2016-09-09|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the Manbij Military Council cut off ISIL's supply route between [[Manbij]] and the de facto ISIL capital of [[Raqqa]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aranews.net/2016/06/sdf-linked-manbij-military-council-cuts-off-isis-supply-route-raqqa-manbij/|title=SDF-led Manbij Military Council cuts off ISIS supply route between Raqqa and Manbij - ARA News|date=5 June 2016|access-date=17 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160606122340/http://aranews.net/2016/06/sdf-linked-manbij-military-council-cuts-off-isis-supply-route-raqqa-manbij/|archive-date=2016-06-06|url-status=dead}}</ref> the SDF captured the city of Osajli<ref>{{cite web|url=http://isis.liveuamap.com/en/2016/10-june-ypg-has-captured-osajli-from-isisthus-is-close-to/comments|title=YPG has captured Osajli from ISIS,thus is close to Arima|publisher=|access-date=17 September 2016}}</ref> Ten days later, the SDF captured Arima.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://isis.liveuamap.com/en/2016/10-june-sdf-took-over-arima-town-on-half-way-to-albab-city/comments|title=SDF took over Arima town on half way to al-Bab city|publisher=|access-date=17 September 2016}}</ref>

⚫
Throughout June 2016, roughly three months after Yousef became co-president, U.S.-backed<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.defense.gov/News-Article-View/Article/791067/fights-to-retake-fallujah-manbij-city-from-isil-begin|title=Fights to Retake Fallujah, Manbij City From ISIL Begin|publisher=|accessdate=17 September 2016}}</ref> [[Syrian Democratic Forces]] (SDF) carried out a campaign to liberate the territories still held by ISIL in northern Syria and to unify the cantons. On June 10, less than a week after liberated eight surrounding villages<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aranews.net/2016/06/us-backed-sdf-advances-isis-near-manbij/|title=US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces advance against ISIS near Manbij, liberate eight villages - ARA News|date=4 June 2016|publisher=|accessdate=17 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160909232732/http://aranews.net/2016/06/us-backed-sdf-advances-isis-near-manbij/#|archive-date=2016-09-09|dead-url=yes|df=}}</ref> and the Manbij Military Council cut off ISIL's supply route between [[Manbij]] and the de facto ISIL capital of [[Raqqa]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aranews.net/2016/06/sdf-linked-manbij-military-council-cuts-off-isis-supply-route-raqqa-manbij/|title=SDF-led Manbij Military Council cuts off ISIS supply route between Raqqa and Manbij - ARA News|date=5 June 2016|publisher=|accessdate=17 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160606122340/http://aranews.net/2016/06/sdf-linked-manbij-military-council-cuts-off-isis-supply-route-raqqa-manbij/#|archive-date=2016-06-06|dead-url=yes|df=}}</ref> the SDF captured the city of Osajli<ref>{{cite web|url=http://isis.liveuamap.com/en/2016/10-june-ypg-has-captured-osajli-from-isisthus-is-close-to/comments|title=YPG has captured Osajli from ISIS,thus is close to Arima|publisher=|accessdate=17 September 2016}}</ref> Ten days later, the SDF captured Arima.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://isis.liveuamap.com/en/2016/10-june-sdf-took-over-arima-town-on-half-way-to-albab-city/comments|title=SDF took over Arima town on half way to al-Bab city|publisher=|accessdate=17 September 2016}}</ref>


===The liberation of Manbij===
===The liberation of Manbij===
⚫
In July 2016, roughly one and a half months after the launch of the [[Manbij offensive (2016)|Manbij offensive]] by the SDF during which Osajli, Arima, and other cities were captures, ISIL suffered heavy losses in the west and north of the city of Manbij despite repeated attempts to break the SDF siege.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/isis-stronghold-verge-collapse-sdf-captures-half-manbij-city/|title=ISIS stronghold on the verge of collapse as the SDF captures half of Manbij city|first=Chris|last=Tomson|date=17 July 2016|publisher=|access-date=17 September 2016|archive-date=11 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190211020022/https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/isis-stronghold-verge-collapse-sdf-captures-half-manbij-city/|url-status=dead}}</ref> As ISIL's expulsion from the city neared, Yousef announced that Manbij, a city of strategic importance, would soon join the Rojava federation<ref name="nerinaazad.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.nerinaazad.com/news/kurdistan/rojava/hediye-yusuf-menbic-alinirsa-federasyona-baglanacak|title=Hediye Yusuf: Menbiç alınırsa federasyona bağlanacak - Nerina Azad|first=nerinaazad.com Kürdistan haber|last=sitesi|publisher=|access-date=17 September 2016}}</ref> via a popular referendum.<ref name=bas-haber>{{cite web|url=http://www.nerinaazad.com/news/kurdistan/rojava/hediye-yusuf-menbic-alinirsa-federasyona-baglanacak=Hediye |publisher=Bas-Haber }} {{dead link|date=March 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The incorporation of Manbij would be a significant step toward uniting the currently non-contiguous Rojava federation cantons of [[Afrin Canton|Afrin]] and [[Kobanî Canton|Kobani]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2020}}


⚫
On Thursday July 21, 2016, the Syrian Democratic Forces gave ISIL forces a 48-hour ultimatum to leave Manbij.<ref name="aljazeera.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/07/syria-war-isil-48-hours-leave-manbij-160721100242517.html|title=Syria war: ISIL given '48 hours' to leave Manbij|publisher=|access-date=17 September 2016}}</ref> ISIL refused the ultimatum, and clashes broke out on Friday.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/07/syria-clashes-manbij-isil-refuses-rebel-offer-160723034926368.html|title=Syria: Clashes in Manbij after ISIL refuses rebel offer|publisher=|access-date=17 September 2016}}</ref> By Monday the 25th, the Manbij Military Council (MMC), aligned with the SDF, had gained control of a majority of the city. By August 5, the MMC had captured roughly 80 percent of the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.aawsat.com/2016/08/article55355793/manbij-military-council-now-controls-80-city|title=Manbij Military Council Now Controls 80% of the City - ASHARQ AL-AWSAT|first=Asharq|last=Al-awsat|date=4 August 2016|publisher=|access-date=17 September 2016|archive-date=24 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210324235649/https://eng-archive.aawsat.com/theaawsat/news-middle-east/manbij-military-council-now-controls-80-city|url-status=dead}}</ref> On August 6, Syrian Democratic Forces declares that they had gained "almost complete control" of the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.aawsat.com/2016/08/article55355890/observatory-isis-almost-completely-ousted-syrias-manbij|title=Observatory: ISIS 'Almost Completely' Ousted from Syria's Manbij - ASHARQ AL-AWSAT|first=Asharq|last=Al-awsat|date=6 August 2016|publisher=|access-date=17 September 2016|archive-date=10 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160810040001/http://english.aawsat.com/2016/08/article55355890/observatory-isis-almost-completely-ousted-syrias-manbij|url-status=dead}}</ref> Manbij was liberated on August 15, 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/manbij-liberated-isis-fighters-flee-city/story?id=41406928|title=Manbij Liberated After ISIS Flees City|date=15 August 2016|publisher=ABC News|access-date=17 September 2016}}</ref>
⚫
In July 2016, roughly one and a half months after the launch of the [[Manbij offensive (2016)|Manbij offensive]] by the SDF during which Osajli, Arima, and other cities were captures, ISIL suffered heavy losses in the west and north of the city of Manbij despite repeated attempts to break the SDF siege.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/isis-stronghold-verge-collapse-sdf-captures-half-manbij-city/|title=ISIS stronghold on the verge of collapse as the SDF captures half of Manbij city|first=Chris|last=Tomson|date=17 July 2016|publisher=|accessdate=17 September 2016}}</ref> As ISIL's expulsion from the city neared, Yousef announced that Manbij, a city of strategic importance, would soon join the Rojava federation<ref name="nerinaazad.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.nerinaazad.com/news/kurdistan/rojava/hediye-yusuf-menbic-alinirsa-federasyona-baglanacak|title=Hediye Yusuf: Menbiç alınırsa federasyona bağlanacak - Nerina Azad|first=nerinaazad.com Kürdistan haber|last=sitesi|publisher=|accessdate=17 September 2016}}</ref> via a popular referendum.<ref name="sputniknews.com">{{cite web|url=http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160720/1043316821/manbij-federation-northern-syria.html|title=When Liberated Manbij Will Join Autonomous Federation of Northern Syria|first=|last=Sputnik|publisher=|accessdate=17 September 2016}}</ref><ref name=bas-haber>{{cite web|url=http://www.nerinaazad.com/news/kurdistan/rojava/hediye-yusuf-menbic-alinirsa-federasyona-baglanacak=Hediye |publisher=Bas-Haber }}{{dead link|date=March 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The incorporation of Manbij would be a significant step toward uniting the currently non-contiguous Rojava federation cantons of [[Afrin Canton|Afrin]] and [[Kobanî Canton|Kobani]].<ref name="sputniknews.com"/>


⚫
<!-- ===The al-Bab offensive===
⚫
On Thursday July 21, 2016, the Syrian Democratic Forces gave ISIL forces a 48-hour ultimatum to leave Manbij.<ref name="aljazeera.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/07/syria-war-isil-48-hours-leave-manbij-160721100242517.html|title=Syria war: ISIL given '48 hours' to leave Manbij|publisher=|accessdate=17 September 2016}}</ref> ISIL refused the ultimatum, and clashes broke out on Friday.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/07/syria-clashes-manbij-isil-refuses-rebel-offer-160723034926368.html|title=Syria: Clashes in Manbij after ISIL refuses rebel offer|publisher=|accessdate=17 September 2016}}</ref> By Monday the 25th, the Manbij Military Council (MMC), aligned with the SDF, had gained control of a majority of the city. By August 5, the MMC had captured roughly 80 percent of the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.aawsat.com/2016/08/article55355793/manbij-military-council-now-controls-80-city|title=Manbij Military Council Now Controls 80% of the City - ASHARQ AL-AWSAT|first=Asharq|last=Al-awsat|date=4 August 2016|publisher=|accessdate=17 September 2016}}</ref> On August 6, Syrian Democratic Forces declares that they had gained "almost complete control" of the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.aawsat.com/2016/08/article55355890/observatory-isis-almost-completely-ousted-syrias-manbij|title=Observatory: ISIS 'Almost Completely' Ousted from Syria's Manbij - ASHARQ AL-AWSAT|first=Asharq|last=Al-awsat|date=6 August 2016|publisher=|accessdate=17 September 2016}}</ref> Manbij was liberated on August 15, 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://abcnews.go.com/International/manbij-liberated-isis-fighters-flee-city/story?id=41406928|title=Manbij Liberated After ISIS Flees City|date=15 August 2016|publisher=ABC News|accessdate=17 September 2016}}</ref>
⚫
Shortly after the liberation of Manbij, the "al-Bab Military Council" was created for the planned offensive to liberate the city of [[Al-Bab]] from the ISIL.<ref>http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/140820162 {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2022}}</ref> This section shoud be linked with th ssubject-->

⚫
===The al-Bab offensive===

⚫
Shortly after the liberation of Manbij, the "al-Bab Military Council" was created for the planned offensive to liberate the city of [[Al-Bab]] from the ISIL.<ref>http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/140820162</ref>


==References==
==References==
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[[Category:1973 births]]
[[Category:21st-century Syrian women politicians]]
[[Category:21st-century women politicians]]
[[Category:21st-century Syrian politicians]]
[[Category:Democratic Union Party (Syria) politicians]]
[[Category:Democratic Union Party (Syria) politicians]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People of the Syrian Civil War]]
[[Category:People of the Syrian civil war]]
[[Category:Syrian Kurdish politicians]]
[[Category:Syrian Kurdish politicians]]
[[Category:Syrian women in politics]]
[[Category:21st-century Kurdish people]]
[[Category:1973 births]]
[[Category:Kurdish women in politics]]
[[Category:Kurdish politicians]]

Latest revision as of 20:23, 4 November 2024

Hediya Yousef
Hediya Yûsif
Co-president of the Executive Council
In office
17 March 2016 – 18 July 2018
Serving with Mansur Selum
Preceded byPosition established
Personal details
Born1973 (age 50–51)
NationalitySyrian (Rojavan)
Political partyDemocratic Union Party
OccupationPolitician

Hediya Yousef (Kurdish: Hediya Yûsif, Arabic: هدية يوسف) is a Kurdish[1] politician from Syria who held the office of co-president of the Executive Council of Rojava from 17 March 2016 to 16 July 2018. Yousef is an ethnic Kurd, and served with fellow co-president Mansur Selum, an ethnic Arab.[2][3]

Early life

[edit]

In her twenties, Yousef, then a guerilla, had been imprisoned by the Assad government for two years in Damascus on charges of having been a member of a secret organization aiming to break up Syria.[4][5]

Co-presidency of Jazeera Canton

[edit]

Yousef first held the office of co-president of Jazeera Canton in the northeast of the newly established Rojava federation. Yousef served as co-president with fellow co-president Humeydi Daham al-Hadi, an Arab tribal leader.[4] Yousef's office was located in the former headquarters of the state-owned Syrian Petroleum Company in the oil-rich[6] city of Rmelan,[4] the city where the Rojava federation had been declared.[6]

"Co-governance" and Kurdish-Arab cooperation

[edit]

During her tenure as co-president, Yousef worked towards greater inter-sectarian cooperation particularly between Kurds and Arabs.[1] The Rojava federation, Yousef said, "is something beyond the nation-state. It's a place where all people, all minorities, and all genders are equally represented."[4] Also during her tenure, Yousef pursued the policy of "co-governance" which, as she explained in an interview, ensures that "every position at every level of government in Rojava . . . includes a female equivalent of equal authority."[4]

Co-presidency of the Rojava federation

[edit]

In March 2016, Yousef was elected co-president of the Rojava federation. The federation covered about 16 percent of Syria's land area.[6] In an interview upon her election, Yousef described the mission of the committee as creating "a wider and more comprehensive system" in the areas liberated from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) "that [gives] rights to all the groups to represent themselves and to form their own administrations."[7]

Referring to the principle of co-governance's attempt to ensure that Syria is government so as to include the country's many ethnic groups (predominantly Arabs and Kurds), Abdulsalem Mohammed said that "Hediya [Yousef] represents Rojava and [Mansur] Selam represents northern Syria." Mohammed, a Kurdish teacher and activist from Qamishli, added that "This is based on the principle of our co-chair system and different nations, and equality between women and men."[8]

"Democratic confederalism" and Kurdish separatism

[edit]

In addition to supporting the policy of "co-governance," Yousef also supports the policy of "democratic confederalism" which honorary Group of Communities in Kurdistan leader Abdullah Ocalan wrote in 2005 was "not a State system [but] the democratic system of a people without a State."[9] Yousef has spoken in support of Western intervention in the Syrian civil war but, in line with her democratic confederalist beliefs, opposes intervention for the purposes of establishing a Kurdish state separate from Syria.[5] "We will not allow the fragmentation of Syria," she said in July 2016. "We want the democratization of Syria."[10]

The Unification of Rojava

[edit]

As the Syrian civil war unfolded and the Rojava federation emerged, Yousef voiced her "desire for Manbij [a city in the Governorate of Aleppo then occupied by ISIL forces] to be part of the democratic federal area [of Rojava] after its liberation."[11] This was part of a wider campaign to unify the cantons of Rojava into a contiguous federation.

Early offensives

[edit]

Throughout June 2016, roughly three months after Yousef became co-president, U.S.-backed[12] Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) carried out a campaign to liberate the territories still held by ISIL in northern Syria and to unify the cantons. On June 10, less than a week after liberated eight surrounding villages[13] and the Manbij Military Council cut off ISIL's supply route between Manbij and the de facto ISIL capital of Raqqa,[14] the SDF captured the city of Osajli[15] Ten days later, the SDF captured Arima.[16]

The liberation of Manbij

[edit]

In July 2016, roughly one and a half months after the launch of the Manbij offensive by the SDF during which Osajli, Arima, and other cities were captures, ISIL suffered heavy losses in the west and north of the city of Manbij despite repeated attempts to break the SDF siege.[17] As ISIL's expulsion from the city neared, Yousef announced that Manbij, a city of strategic importance, would soon join the Rojava federation[18] via a popular referendum.[19] The incorporation of Manbij would be a significant step toward uniting the currently non-contiguous Rojava federation cantons of Afrin and Kobani.[citation needed]

On Thursday July 21, 2016, the Syrian Democratic Forces gave ISIL forces a 48-hour ultimatum to leave Manbij.[20] ISIL refused the ultimatum, and clashes broke out on Friday.[21] By Monday the 25th, the Manbij Military Council (MMC), aligned with the SDF, had gained control of a majority of the city. By August 5, the MMC had captured roughly 80 percent of the city.[22] On August 6, Syrian Democratic Forces declares that they had gained "almost complete control" of the city.[23] Manbij was liberated on August 15, 2016.[24]


References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "The Cezire Canton: An Arab Sheikh and A Woman Guerrilla at the Helm". Syandan. 4 October 2014. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
  2. ^ "Syrian Kurds declare new federation in bid for recognition". Middle East Eye. 17 March 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
  3. ^ Fetah, Vîviyan (17 July 2018). "Îlham Ehmed: Dê rêxistinên me li Şamê jî ava bibin". www.rudaw.net (in Kurdish). Rudaw Media Network. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d e "A Dream of Secular Utopia in ISIS' Backyard". The New York Times. 29 November 2015. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  5. ^ a b "Syrian Kurds in six-month countdown to federalism". The Daily Star. 13 April 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
  6. ^ a b c Hamlo, Khalil (25 March 2016). "Kurds' 'federal' project in Syria raises concerns". The Arab Weekly. Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  7. ^ "Syrian Kurds in six-month countdown to federalism". Reuters. 12 April 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
  8. ^ "ANALYSIS: 'This is a new Syria, not a new Kurdistan'". Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  9. ^ "Declaration of Democratic Confederalism in Kurdistan - Free media library". Archived from the original on 29 September 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  10. ^ "Hediye Yusuf: Suriye'nin parçalanmasına izin vermeyeceğiz". 11 July 2016. Archived from the original on 10 September 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  11. ^ Perry, Tom (16 June 2016). "Federal plan for northern Syria advances with U.S.-backed forces". Reuters. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  12. ^ "Fights to Retake Fallujah, Manbij City From ISIL Begin". Archived from the original on 14 March 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  13. ^ "US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces advance against ISIS near Manbij, liberate eight villages - ARA News". 4 June 2016. Archived from the original on 9 September 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  14. ^ "SDF-led Manbij Military Council cuts off ISIS supply route between Raqqa and Manbij - ARA News". 5 June 2016. Archived from the original on 6 June 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  15. ^ "YPG has captured Osajli from ISIS,thus is close to Arima". Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  16. ^ "SDF took over Arima town on half way to al-Bab city". Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  17. ^ Tomson, Chris (17 July 2016). "ISIS stronghold on the verge of collapse as the SDF captures half of Manbij city". Archived from the original on 11 February 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  18. ^ sitesi, nerinaazad.com Kürdistan haber. "Hediye Yusuf: Menbiç alınırsa federasyona bağlanacak - Nerina Azad". Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  19. ^ . Bas-Haber http://www.nerinaazad.com/news/kurdistan/rojava/hediye-yusuf-menbic-alinirsa-federasyona-baglanacak=Hediye. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help) [permanent dead link‍]
  20. ^ "Syria war: ISIL given '48 hours' to leave Manbij". Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  21. ^ "Syria: Clashes in Manbij after ISIL refuses rebel offer". Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  22. ^ Al-awsat, Asharq (4 August 2016). "Manbij Military Council Now Controls 80% of the City - ASHARQ AL-AWSAT". Archived from the original on 24 March 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  23. ^ Al-awsat, Asharq (6 August 2016). "Observatory: ISIS 'Almost Completely' Ousted from Syria's Manbij - ASHARQ AL-AWSAT". Archived from the original on 10 August 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  24. ^ "Manbij Liberated After ISIS Flees City". ABC News. 15 August 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
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