Major Arab tribes in northeastern Syria recently issued an ultimatum for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) following the killing of several tribesmen during the protests that broke out in Hasakah province in the wake of a May 17 decision by the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria to raise diesel and fuel prices.

On March 19, the sheikhs of the Bakara tribe based in the opposition-held city of Azaz issued a statement, mourning the death of several members of the tribe’s al-Burahma clan who were killed during peaceful demonstrations in Hasakah. The statement said that the SDF has killed Salih al-Hamadi, Adnan Abdullah and Daham al-Ani in its crackdown on protesters in the town of al-Shaddadi and in Abadan.

The tribe noted that it strongly denounces and rejects the “crimes of the Democratic Union Party [PYD] militia [that leads the SDF] against the people of the eastern province, mainly the policy of starvation and the plundering of the area’s resources.” The tribe also holds the international coalition forces responsible for the breaches against the population, calling for controlling and monitoring the SDF’s actions.

The statement called on the Arab tribes in eastern Syria, notably in Hasakah province, to mobilize and stand together until the demands of the Syrian people are met, firstly the departure of SDF forces and the [Kurdish] leaders of the Qandil Mountains [near the Iraqi-Iranian border] from the area. The tribe requested the international community and human rights organizations to urgently intervene to protect demonstrators.