Ownership in a warzone is complicated idea. This is especially true in northern Syria, where internal conflict has escalated to mass movement of people, border disputes and international military involvement. But the Rojava region, on the border with Turkey, is taking ownership of its own situation, through co-operating to establish a society based on

the principles of direct democracy, sustainability and gender equality.

From September 2014 to January 2015, the city of Kobanê, on Syria’s northern border with Turkey, was under siege by so-called Islamic State. On 29 January 2015, Kobanê was liberated through the work of several democratic forces, including the People’s Protection Units (YPG) and Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), the International Coalition and Kurdistani forces. Three days later, the Kobanê Reconstruction Board was established, and since then the board, in co-operation

with the Kobanê canton office and the municipality has worked on a number of projects around education, health and infrastructure.

Speaking at the Ways Forward 4 conference in Manchester earlier this year, Alan Semo, a representative of the Rojava’s PYD (Democratic Union Party), told how local collectives are working together to rebuild the area. “Rojava is a true community,” he told co-operators.

“We aim to live together peacefully and co-operatively.”

Speaking with Co-operative News in January, Hawzhin Azeez, a member of the Kobanê reconstruction board, says a co-op is seen as any project or programme that is designed to bring a group of people together with the purpose of encouraging them to become financially and economically independent and self-sufficient.