By Micah Jonah
January 17, 2026
Syria’s President, Ahmed al-Sharaa has issued a decree, granting Kurdish Syrians full citizenship and formally recognizing the Kurdish language, state news agency SANA reported on Friday. The move marks the first time the government has provided such recognition.
The decree comes after clashes in northern Aleppo last week, left at least 23 people dead, forced more than 150,000 residents to flee two Kurdish-controlled areas of the city. The violence subsided after Kurdish fighters withdrew from the streets.
Under the decree, Kurdish is now recognized as a national language alongside Arabic, and schools will be allowed to teach it. The government also restored citizenship to all Kurdish Syrians who had previously been stripped of nationality under a 1962 census in Hasaka province.
Additionally, the decree designates Nowruz, the Kurdish spring and new year festival, as a paid national holiday. It bans ethnic and linguistic discrimination, mandates inclusive national messaging from state institutions, and imposes penalties for inciting ethnic conflict.
The Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have engaged in months of discussions to integrate Kurdish-run military and civil bodies into state institutions, though progress has been limited.
