ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Rojava’s (northeast Syria) autonomous administration on Saturday issued “an urgent appeal” to end the “suffocating siege imposed on Kobane,” calling for an immediate solution and opening safe corridors for humanitarian and medical aid.

“We issue an urgent appeal to local and international public opinion in light of the suffocating siege imposed on the city of Kobani, which has today brought it to the brink of a real humanitarian catastrophe threatening the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians,” a statement from the Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria (AANES) read.

The Syrian government has imposed a suffocating siege on Kobane in recent days, blocking roads leading to the city, slashing electricity, and curbing access to basic services for its some 150,000 population.

At least five children have died from the cold and lack of medical supplies, the Kurdish Red Crescent in the city said Saturday.

“We call for finding a quick and immediate solution and opening safe corridors to ensure the entry of humanitarian and medical aid, securing treatment for the wounded, and providing basic needs for the besieged population, without any restrictions or conditions,” AANES said.

"Silence in the face of what is happening is complicity, and urgent intervention today is a humanitarian responsibility that cannot be postponed," the administration lamented.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Friday that humanitarian partners operating in Kobane are increasingly concerned about “the humanitarian situation there [in Kobane] getting worse,” adding that all roads connecting to the city are “currently closed.”

Interruptions to electricity, water, and internet services are further hampering civilians’ access to basic needs, according to the UN office.

Kobane’s isolation comes amid wider instability in Rojava, as Damascus-affiliated forces have launched a brutal offensive against Kurdish-held areas in a bid to secure interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s vision of a united, centralized Syria, despite the country’s marginalized minorities repeatedly calling for federalism.