A vigil has been taking place for 21 days in Mardin’s Nusaybin district, at the border with Qamishlo, against the ongoing invasion attacks by the Turkish state and the Syrian National Army (SNA) on North-East Syria.

Having gathered in the district center in the morning, more than ten thousand people, including Peace Mothers, prisoners' relatives, religious scholars from the Democratic Islamic Congress (DIK), representatives of Alevi organisations, women and young people marched to the border in the afternoon.

After the march, thousands gathered in the area on the border with Qamishlo, where the vigil has been taking place for 21 days, and made a statement.

Speaking on behalf of the Democratic Islamic Congress (DIK), Seyda Babayê Xelatî said, “I want to send two messages from here. My first message is that all Kurdish people should unite for peace. Peace can be achieved through unity. Unity is the instruction of Allah. My second message is to all the people of Turkey. Kurds want peace and brotherhood, they want peace. Therefore, Kurds and Turks are brothers and sisters and should live in peace.”

Speaking on behalf of the Democratic Alevi Association (DAD), Mustafa Karabudak said, “Defending Rojava is a humanitarian duty. A massacre is being committed in Syria by the AKP and MHP. We appeal to the international community. This is a crime against humanity. The solution is not to insist on war. The solution is peace and an end to war. Alevis have always been on the side of the oppressed. We oppose these massacres. While civilian massacres are being carried out in Syria, policies of oppression on Kurds continue here. The Syrian people should live democratically with their own beliefs.”

DEM Party Spokesperson Ayşegül Doğan said: “We have been holding a vigil here for days. What are we guarding at this border? They cannot put a border between us and our hearts. Rojava is our most valuable side. That is why we protect Rojava. That is why you cannot break the bond between us. Our vigil is a call for peace. Kurds resist wherever they are. We are ready for peace and brotherhood. We should know that in this historic period, the greatest responsibility is on our shoulders. We want to live with our identity and culture. No more bloodshed. Mr Öcalan has been kept under heavy isolation conditions for 26 years.

The will for brotherhood and free life awaits us. We are ready here. It is time to struggle based on democratic politics. It is time to open the doors of prison. We are experiencing a new beginning to reach the goal. Let no one avoid responsibility. Everyone has a responsibility. To claim the Kurdish gains is to claim the Kurds. It is time to claim the will. It is time to break this isolation completely. The peoples and Mr Öcalan's hand must unite. Kurdish gains should no longer be considered a danger. If you bomb our brothers and sisters in Rojava, you bomb our hearts.”

Referring to the İmralı meeting, Ayşegül Doğan continued: “A lasting peace must be achieved. will not give up fighting for human values. Defending the values of humanity has made us universal. Respect the achievements of the peoples. We call on those who claim to be in favour of the unity and integrity of the peoples to hold the hand of peace extended by the Kurds. Rojava is an example of equal and free unity in the Middle East. To see and accept this reality is to protect the values of humanity.

Journalists Nazım Daşdan and Cihan Bilgin, who were covering news and truth with their cameras in Rojava, have been targeted by an UCAV recently. Security policies continue. Nusaybin and Qamishlo are one. Trying to separate Nusaybin and Qamishlo is the work of those who do not want to strengthen the Kurdish and Turkish brotherhood. This is why Mr Öcalan has not given up the peace that he has been steadily seeking since ’93 despite the severe isolation conditions he has been living in for years. This is a historical responsibility. We are ready. Women are ready, men are ready, our geography is ready. We are ready for an equal, just and honourable life. We are struggling for this.

Here, heartbroken mothers are waiting for prisoners to be released, for their identities to be recognised, for all of us to live together equally. As the DEM Party, we have been carrying this responsibility for years. We say to all political and social opposition that if there is to be a political solution, if we want an equal, honourable and just life together, it is those who demand it that must hold the other end.”