ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (NES) authorities, known to Kurds as Rojava, deny having cut electricity from the Alouk pumping station in northern Syria as a weapon against pro-Turkey militia groups in the area, after a UN statement released Friday mentioned the allegations.
"We have provided electricity to Alouk station. The electricity normally goes to Sari Kani and Gire Spi towns as well but the [pro-Turkey] militants have damaged the lines so we cannot provide electricity to these towns. However, the line to Alouk Station is not harmed, so we have provided special electricity to the station,” NES spokesperson Lukman Ahmi told Rudaw English in a phone call.
He added that they provide 10 megawatts of electricity per day for the station, despite the fact that Turkey continues cutting the flow of the Euphrates River which is the source of the electricity.
A statement from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet’s office said on Friday says the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has “been accused of hindering the electricity feed to the pumping station.”
The weaponization of the resources, including that by Turkey-backed militias, has affected up to one million people in Hasaka and its surrounding areas, including camps of the displaced, adds the statement.
The commissioner warns against “impeding access to water, sanitation and electricity endangers the lives of large numbers of people, a danger rendered all the more acute amid fighting a global pandemic.”
Ahmi told Rudaw that "we condemn it [statement by Bachelet] as these people have not visited the area. We invite them to come to the region to see things on the ground."
Rudaw English reached out to Bachelet’s office, but they were unavailable for comment on Ahmi’s assertions.
Rojava is experiencing an increasing number of coronavirus cases. A lack of water in Hasaka could cause further spikes in the number of cases in the city, which has suffered from shortages for more than a month after Turkey cut the flow of water from the Euphrates River.
Sozdar Ahmed, co-chair of the water network in Hasaka, told Rudaw in late August they were drilling some 50 wells to meet the city’s needs.
The international medical aid organization, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), has helped the city drill the new wells in Hema, north of the city. The France-based organization is supplying laboratory equipment and chemicals for treatment to ensure the water is safe for drinking.
Turkey and its Syrian proxies seized control of Alouk water station during the code-named Operation Peace Spring in October 2019 after taking control of the towns of Sari Kani (Ras al-Ain) and Gire Spi (Tal Abyad). These areas were previously controlled by the SDF.
Electricity for sale
The NES spokesperson claimed that the pro-Turkey militants have sold the electricity sent by Rojava to individuals, creating a shortage
"The militants sell the electricity for money and use a small part of the station. [...] The electricity is not enough for the waterflow."
Ahmi claims they have done their best to keep the station working.
Hanny Megally, a member of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry for Syria, told Rudaw on Thursday that pro-Turkey militants, also known as the Syrian National Army (SNA), are desperately trying to get a hold of money, using means including extortion due to not receiving proper salaries.
“The problem seems to be that the armed groups, particularly Syrian National Army, are not really being paid proper salaries and they are using whatever means they can find, including the crops being taken over and sold so that they can make money. But they are using the civilian population as hostages to raise money for extortion,” he said.
It is not clear how much SNA fighters receive as salaries, but it is largely believed to be under $100, according to researchers . However, Turkey has reportedly offered $2,000 to those SNA fighters who are willing to fight for Turkey in Libya to support the internationally-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA).
