A Century Since the Kurdish Tribal Petition to France: Will the Present Redress What the Past Ignored?
By: Jalal Mar’i
France’s renewed political engagement in the Syrian file raises legitimate questions about the nature of the role Paris seeks to play in the coming phase—particularly in light of statements by French President Emmanuel Macron and his foreign minister, which suggest that France views itself as an active stakeholder in managing Syrian affairs and contributing to the shaping of Syria’s political and security trajectories in the post-Assad era.
This French discourse reflects a clear ambition to strengthen Paris’s political presence on the Syrian scene in the period ahead, drawing on a historical legacy of relations, a complex network of political connections, and positions presented as more balanced compared to those of other countries that view Syria primarily as an arena for intersecting influence and interests.
Observers of Syrian affairs note that France’s stance on the Kurdish issue demonstrates a degree of relative clarity, both in political rhetoric and in international forums. Paris does not conceal its support for Kurdish cultural and political rights and has repeatedly stressed the need to reach a just solution that guarantees the Kurds’ genuine partnership in Syria’s future within a comprehensive national framework.
This approach opens the door to a central question: could any potential French role or oversight offer the Kurds a better opportunity than previous experiences of international patronage, which often prioritized strategic interests over the rights of local components?
The legitimacy of this question grows when revisiting overlooked chapters of Syrian history. In the 1930s, during the French Mandate over Syria, a number of Kurdish tribal leaders and notable figures submitted an official petition to the mandate authorities, calling for self-administration in Kurdish-majority areas—aimed at preserving their national identity and ensuring their political rights within the framework of the Syrian state.
These demands were not separatist in nature; rather, they were part of an effort to find a formula that would ensure coexistence and stability, and limit the marginalization policies the Kurds would later endure. Although these demands were never implemented at the time, they represented an important political precedent, reflecting an early awareness of the importance of self-organization and recognition of national pluralism.
Today, as Syria enters a new political phase, the question resurfaces regarding the possibility of reviving models of self-rule or decentralized administration—this time within a different international context and potentially under international sponsorship or supervision. While times have changed and Syria is no longer under a mandate as it was a century ago, one constant remains: ignoring the Kurdish issue and failing to reach a just solution will keep the country hostage to recurring crises.
If France is indeed capable of playing a guarantor role that respects the will of Syria’s components and balances international interests with the rights of peoples, this could open a window of hope—not only for the Kurds, but for Syria as a whole—to build a democratic, pluralistic state based on partnership and equal citizenship.
Discussion of a French role in Syria should not be understood as a call for a return to tutelage or mandate, but rather as a demand for a responsible international role—one that learns from the mistakes of the past and grants peoples, foremost among them the Kurdish people, their legitimate right to manage their own affairs within a unified state.
The question remains open: will the demands of the Kurdish tribes, written in ink on paper a century ago, be transformed today into a political reality shaped by a different international will?
Historical Note
The Kurdish tribal petition was signed by a number of notable figures, tribal leaders, and Kurdish political personalities of the time, including: Kamiran Badirakhan, Jaladat Badirakhan, Suraya Badirakhan, Mamdouh Salim, Mustafa Shahin, Hamo Muslim, Bozan Shahin, Najib Barmada, Rashid Sheikh Ismail Zadeh, Saleh, Qadri Fouad Jamil Pasha, Ahmad Malik, Mohammed Farid Jamil Pasha, Akram Qassim Jamil Pasha, Said (Azizan Tribe – Kiki Clan), Ibrahim (Milan Tribe), Hajjo (Haverkan Tribe), Haj Suleiman Abbas (Dorkan Tribe), Abdi Mar’i Agha (Aliyan Tribes), and Abdi Agha Khilo (Mirsiniyan Tribe). Assessments of the roles and positions of these figures remain a subject of debate in historical and political writings.