Îlham Ehmed (, ), also rendered as Îlham Ahmed, is a Kurdish politician from Syria and a member of Democratic Union Party currently serving as the co-president of the Executive Council of the

Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria The Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES), also known as Rojava, is a ''de facto'' Autonomous administrative division, autonomous region in northeastern Syria. It consists of self-governing Regions of North and E ...

(Rojava) and member of the executive committee of the Movement for a Democratic Society (TEV-DEM) coalition. Until July 2018, she was a co-chair of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), a political wing of the

Syrian Democratic Forces The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is a Kurds in Syria, Kurdish-led coalition of U.S.-backed Left-wing politics, left-wing ethnic militias and rebel groups, and serves as the official military wing of the Democratic Autonomous Administration ...

that acts as the legislature for Rojava. As through March 8, 2025, she is Co-Chair of the Foreign Affairs Department of the

Life and career

An ethnic Kurd born in Afrin, Ehmed has been outspoken on the aim of a programmatically polyethnic character of a future Syria. At the start of the second Raqqa campaign in November 2016, she said:

Such an administration could provide a good example for democratic change in
Raqqa Raqqa (, also , Kurdish language, Kurdish: ''Reqa'') is a city in Syria on the North bank of the Euphrates River, about east of Aleppo. It is located east of the Tabqa Dam, Syria's largest dam. The Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine city and b ...
, especially that the city has been for years a de facto capital for the
ISIS Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...
terrorist group. This accomplishment would be a major change in the overall situation in Syria, and would help the country move towards stability, democratic change.
Raqqa Raqqa (, also , Kurdish language, Kurdish: ''Reqa'') is a city in Syria on the North bank of the Euphrates River, about east of Aleppo. It is located east of the Tabqa Dam, Syria's largest dam. The Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine city and b ...
will be an example for the whole country.

Having been involved with the Kurdish nationalist movement since the 1990s, Ehmed seeks have a decentralized government in the form of a federalized Syria. She claims that local civilian councils and governments would emerge in Syrian Kurdistan in such a decentralized state that guarantee the rights of different Syrian groups, including

freedom of speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been r ...

, and

gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality, gender egalitarianism, or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making, an ...

. She advocates for the rights of the Kurdish people to be guaranteed in the Syrian constitution. Ehmed took part in negotiations with the

Syrian government The government of Syria takes place in a presidential system and is currently in a transitionary period under and led by a transitional government. The seat of the government is located in Damascus, Syria. On 8 December 2024, after the succ ...

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

concerning services that shall be provided also in the areas governed by the SDC in July 2018. She has since repeatedly laid the blame for the failure of political talks on Damascus, stating:

The ruling regime has not changed its stance, not on the humanitarian or political levels. It has not shown any flexibility towards the Syrians who are at odds with it. It rejected channels of communication to address the aftermath of the earthquake and ensuing humanitarian catastrophe...They are the main obstacle in unifying the Syrian vision.

Negotiations with France

After both

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

's threat to attack Afrin and

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

's declaration that the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

would withdraw its troops from the territories governed by the SDF in December 2018, Ehmed travelled to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

with SDC co-chair Riad Darar to talk with the

French government The Government of France (, ), officially the Government of the French Republic (, ), exercises Executive (government), executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister of France, prime minister, who is the head of government, ...

about further cooperation with the French troops stationed in the areas governed by the SDF. French troops would remain in Syria following negotiations with France.

References

External links

Interview with ''Al-Monitor'' (December 2016)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ehmed, Îlham Democratic Union Party (Syria) politicians Living people People of the Syrian civil war Year of birth missing (living people) Syrian Kurdish politicians Kurdish women in politics