The Turkish “Energy” company is one of the tools of hegemony and Turkification in the occupied north of Syria

The Turkish occupation continues to extend its hegemony over all aspects of life in the areas under the control of its Syrian factions, and this is evidenced by dozens of private companies that seek to exploit the people’s basic needs, including electricity.

The Turkish occupation worked to provide these areas with electric power through the “Energy” company, which controls electricity prices, taking advantage of the difficult living conditions of the people after the damage to the electricity sector.

The company “Energy” began its work by connecting and extracting electricity from Turkish territory to the areas controlled by the factions affiliated with the Turkish occupation, and its launch was from the occupied city of Afrin, in 2018, after extending high-tension cables through the “Bab al-Salama” border crossing with Turkey, Syrians and Turks are working now in the company , and it has many branches in the occupied north of Syria.

The people residing in the northern countryside of Aleppo, Serêkaniyê/Ras al-Ain and Tal Abiyad, complain about the high electricity prices that reach their homes and shops from this company. Many demonstrations denouncing their exploitation as a result of the company’s continuous increase in electricity prices.

Many cities and towns such as Afrin, Azaz and Mare’ witnessed, during the month of June, thousands of mass demonstrations, in which demonstrators attacked the company’s headquarters in several areas, and burned the company’s building in Afrin, as well as the “Local Council” building of the interim government. Demonstrations were repressed by members of the “military police” and guards of the “local council in Afrin, according to what special sources told Aso News Network, who declined to be named for security reasons.

Ms. “Abeer al-Abrash”, a displaced person from the southern countryside of Idlib, told Aso News Network that the company has recently started to ration electricity to an average of 4/4 hours. She also complains about the high subscription prices, as “the price of one kilowatt of household has reached more than 4 Turkish lira.

She indicated that one family needs, on average, more than 200 kilowatts, at a price of 800 Turkish liras, which is equivalent to 50 US dollars. She called for the need to work on what she described as “putting an end to the exploitation of civilians and collecting wealth for Turkish companies,” accusing the armed factions and local councils of being behind the process of “exploiting the people,” as she said it.

Al-Abrash expresses her displeasure with the Turkish Electricity Company’s exploitation of the people’s needs, the rationing that it follows, the continuous breakdowns, and the company’s employees’ dealing with the people, explaining that “whoever wants to fill the meter must wait for long hours in front of the company’s door under the sun.”

She explains that what drives people to obtain electricity from this company and not rely on alternative energy is the presence of disadvantages of the latter, including the danger that batteries pose to families in light of high temperatures, especially after many cases of batteries exploding and injuries among children and women.

She also points to the poor feasibility of solar panels during the winter season, and therefore it is more useful for them to rely on regular electricity through the company, she says.

In a related context, media activist “Khalid Al-Youssef” (pseudonym), who lives in the town of Jindires in the northern countryside of Aleppo, told Aso News Network, “This company is one of the dozens of other Turkish companies that have imposed themselves in northern Syria and have become private Turkish companies. It controls and dominates all outlets of life, including services, internet, electricity, foodstuffs, cars, and others, and this invasion of Turkish companies has caused the suspension of many Syrian companies and the decline of the work of many of them.”

The policy of the Turkish company “Energy” has recently pushed many families to cancel the subscription to the home electricity service due to their inability to bear the financial burdens, especially after there are indications of higher electricity prices in the coming months, such as an increase in the number of rationing hours, and the invocation of the frequent malfunctions, according to “Al-Youssef.” “.

As “Mohammed Al-Saleh” (pseudonym), a breadwinner for a family of 6, who resides in Azaz in the northern countryside of Aleppo, told Aso News Network: “It is not only the high prices of electricity, the long hours of rationing, and the mistreatment of employees in the company’s branches that raises resentment among civilians and increases of electricity costs, and the company imposes a fine of $15 in the event that the owner of the meter wants to change his place of residence, especially since the majority of subscribers are displaced persons and they are often forced to move from one place to another, all in order to increase the company’s profits from the livelihood of the people who suffer from very difficult living conditions.”

The hegemonic behavior of the Turkish occupation, over the occupied areas, through its armed factions, through imposing taxes on commercial traffic, agriculture, education, health and market stores, and the Turkish companies’ invasion of these areas, increases the suffering of the people and the state of popular frustration against these practices, Many of the people interviewed by Aso News Network believe that the situation will explode, and that an internal popular revolution will happen soon against Turkish domination of the occupied areas of northern Syria.