Mesopotamia National Council

The Mesopotamia National Council or Bethnahrin National Council (Classical Syriac: ܡܘܬܒܐ ܐܘܡܬܝܐ ܕܒܝܬ ܢܗܪܝܢ‎, romanized: Mawtbo Umthoyo d'Bethnahrin, MUB), formerly the Bethnahrin Freedom Party (Classical Syriac: ܓܒܐ ܕܚܐܪܘܬܐ ܕܒܝܬ ܢܗܪܝܢ‎, romanized: Gabo d'Ḥirutho d'Bethnahrin, GHB) and the Patriotic Revolutionary Organization of Bethnahrin (Classical Syriac: ܛܘܟܣܐ ܕܘܪܢܝܐ ܡܬܢܝܐ ܕܒܝܬ ܢܗܪܝܢ‎, romanized: Ṭukoso Dawronoyo Mothonoyo d'Beth Nahrin, PROB) is a militant socialist Assyrian-Syriac party in the Dawronoye movement, whose stated goal is autonomy for Assyrian-Syriac people, either as an independent state[3] or some other structure, in Bethnahrin, the Assyrian homeland.[2] The organization is allied with multiple parties within the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), including the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the Syrian Democratic Union Party (PYD).[2]

Mesopotamia National Council
ܡܘܬܒܐ ܐܘܡܬܝܐ ܕܒܝܬ ܢܗܪܝܢ
PresidentMihayel Naim Hadodo[1]
Preceded byBethnahrin Freedom Party
IdeologyAssyrian nationalism

History as the PROB and GHB
Flag of the Bethnahrin Freedom Party

The Patriotic Revolutionary Organization of Bethnahrin was formed in the 1990s by Assyrian-Syriac nationalists who previously fought within the PKK against Turkey.[2]

The group carried out its first attack alongside the PKK against a Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) military compound in the town of Kasre on 17 July 1999, where 39 KDP Peshmerga fighters were killed and 20 injured.[4] Three days later a second attack was carried out by the group in which several of Massoud Barzani's fighters were killed when an army truck driving on a bridge between Kasre and Haci Umran was blown up by the PROB. The group claimed both attacks were to avenge the death of Assyrian Helen A. Sawa, who was raped and killed by the Peshmerga.[4]

On 24 July 2000, approximately a hundred members of the PROB forced entry in a governmental building in Lausanne, Switzerland. PROB wanted to attract the attention of the Swiss government and media to issues relating to the Assyrian-Syriac people, especially in relation to their treatment in Turkey. They emphasized how the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne denied the Assyrian-Syriac people in Turkey their national rights and oppression faced by Assyrian-Syriacs in Turkey.[5]

At its first congress in 2000, the PROB reorganized as the Bethnahrin Freedom Party,[2] which was listed as a terrorist organization by the Turkish government in 2001. According to Wladimir van Wilgenburg, the GHB's founder, Numan Ogur, was kidnapped in 2003 after an attempt to try to leave the organization.[3] During the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the GHB cooperated with Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Peshmerga, hoping to gain political influence in Iraq.[2]

Reorganization as the MUB

In 2005, the Bethnahrin Freedom Party changed its name to the Mesopotamia National Council. The council stated that it may resume military operations in Iraq, Syria, or Lebanon. Its affiliate in Syria is the Syriac Union Party (SUP). During the Syrian Civil War, the SUP has established two military organizations in 2013, Sutoro and the Syriac Military Council (MFS). The group began to cooperate with other parties in the Rojava region, the Syrian Democratic Council and its military wing, the Syrian Democratic Forces.[2]

From 25 to 27 May 2016, the 8th conference of the Mesopotamia National Council was held in Switzerland.[1]

See also

References
  1. "BETHNAHRIN NATIONAL COUNCIL MUB FINISHED ITS ANNUAL 8TH CONFERENCE". Syriac International News Agency. 1 June 2016.
  2. "The revolutionaries of Bethnahrin: cooperation between Christians and Kurds". Carl Drott. 25 May 2015.
  3. Wladimir van Wilgenburg (3 April 2009). "Assyrian Nationalists Cooperate with Kurdish PKK Insurgents". The Jamestown Foundation.
  4. RFE/RL iraq Report
  5. PROB Occupies building in Lausanne, Switzerland
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