Philenews

Syria: al-Sara Recognizes Kurdish Language as Official

Published January 16, 2026, 21:05
Syria: al-Sara Recognizes Kurdish Language as Official

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sara has signed a decree recognizing Kurdish as an official language of Syria and granting rights to Kurdish citizens. The decree establishes Nawroz as an official holiday and restores nationality to Kurds who had lost it after the 1962 census. This move comes at a time when the Kurdish minority, which had been oppressed for decades, gained significant autonomy during the civil war, controlling resource-rich areas. Despite an agreement to integrate Kurdish forces into the Syrian state in March 2025, talks on implementation are stalled. Simultaneously, the Syrian army has warned of impending strikes on Kurdish positions in Aleppo.