Points of the Truce with the People's Protection Units (YPG)

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Country/entity: Syria
Region: Middle East and North Africa
Agreement name: Points of the Truce with the People's Protection Units (YPG)
Date: 24 Apr 2014
Agreement status: Multiparty signed/agreed
Interim arrangement: Yes
Agreement/conflict level: Intrastate/local conflict
Syrian Conflicts (1948 - ) (1976 - 2005) (2011 - )
The agreements relate to three different conflict contexts. Israel-Syria and Syria-Lebanon. The Syrian-Israeli conflict was a key factor for the Syrian intervention during the Lebanese Civil War, with Syrian-backed Palestinian Liberation Army units intervened in 1976 against the Palestinian/Leftist militias. Following a massacre at Tel al-Zaatar that year, Syria was forced to accept a ceasefire at a meeting of the Arab League. However, the Arab League also mandated an Arab Deterrence Force, consisting of mostly Syrian soldiers with token contributions from other Arab League states, thus further legitimizing the Syrian presence in Lebanon. During a second bout of fighting that began in 1989, caused by the formation of rival Lebanese regimes in East and West Beirut, the Syrian-backed regime won and in 1991 the ‘Treaty of Brotherhood, Cooperation and Coordination’ was signed to legalize the Syrian occupation as a means to ensure the security of Syria. Syrian forces were forced to withdraw in 2005 following possible involvement in the assassination of Lebanon’s President Hariri.

Syria-internal. In 2011, domestic upheaval following a wave of protests across the Arab World soon led to violent repression of protestors by Syrian government troops. The violence progressed steadily and by July 2011 the Free Syrian Army (FSA) was formed consisting of defected military units and new recruits. The FSA and rebel umbrella group known as the Syrian National Council represented the first attempt at coordinating rebel factions in late 2011. However, a steady influx of foreign fighters and increased sectarianism radicalised opposition groups, which relied on foreign funding. The nature of the conflict changed drastically in late 2013 as infighting among the opposition groups increased. One of the more significant developments was the split between the al-Qaeda outfits the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, ISIS), and Jabhat al-Nusra in early 2014 in addition to the intensified targeting of other rebel factions by ISIS fighters in particular, including the Kurdish Peshmerga, the FSA and other jihadist outfits. Since the summer of 2014, the conflict was further internationalized when ISIS announced the formation of an Islamic state eroding the state line between Iraq and Syria and also in mid-2015 when Russian forces intervened on behalf of the Bashar al-Assad government in Damascus.
Stage: Ceasefire/related
Conflict nature: Inter-group
Peace process: Syrian Local Agreements
Parties: Joint Operations Room of Ahl al-Sham [Signed]
People's Defence Units [Signed]
Third parties: -
Description: Short ceasefire agreement between the Joint Operations Room of Ahl al-Sham and the People's Defence Units (YPG), calling for increased mobility, an exchange of prisoners, the facilitation of living conditions in areas under YPG control, a ban on unannounced checkpoints and a continuation of the siege on Nabil and al-Zahra areas.

Agreement document: SY_140424_YPG-Ahl al-Sham Truce_EN.pdf (opens in new tab) | Download PDF
Agreement document (original language): SY_140424_YPG Ahl al-Sham Truce_AR.pdf (opens in new tab)| Download PDF

Local agreement properties

Process type: Informal but persistent process
Rationale: -> Local issues only; no external support mechanism; culture of signing No formally-established mechanism supported the negotiation between the signing parties. Moreover, this agreement cannot be linked to the national peace process. Indeed, both groups have a Salafist or separatist ideology; they oppose the rule of Bashar al-Assad in Syria and reject the idea of a national negotiation to solve the conflict. Yet, it seems that both signing parties choose to solve daily pragmatic issues related to their armed struggle through agreements (especially the YPG). Although one cannot speak of a “culture” of singing peace agreements, the parties are involved (in a non-proactive and non-conscious way) in a persistent practice of signing local agreements.
Is there a documented link to a national peace process?: No
Link to national process: articulated rationale: No link to the national peace process in Syria is mentioned in the agreement, neither it can be inferred from further research. First, the agreement does not involve local governance actors; and the signing parties themselves are not official state representative. Second, all parties to the agreement reject the national peace process, as it would maintain Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian government in power.
Name of Locale: Aleppo
Nature of Locale: Region
GPS Lat/Long (DD): 36.371434, 37.003715
Participant type: Local armed group
Mediator, facilitator or similar: No mention of mediator or similar

Local issues

Ritual/prayer and process (including use of scripture): No specific mention.
Grievance List: Although the agreement does not refer to specific causes of the conflict, it lists seven provisions to address local grievances.

Page 1,
1. The interim truce in Aleppo and the surrounding country is the 'first stage' between the Joint Operations Room of Ahl al-Sham and People's Defence Units.
2. Continuation of traffic on the roads belonging to the two parties by prior agreement and official documentation specifying the destination and make of car sealed by Ahl al- Sham.
3. Exchange prisoners between the parties 'whitening the prisons'.
4. Facilitate living conditions of the inhabitants of YPG areas.
5. Forbid the establishment of military checkpoints except when both parties have prior
knowledge in the areas under the influence of the YPG.
6. Provide for the siege on the areas of Nabil and al-Zahra and prevent the movement of all
human elements in the region.
7. This six-month agreement can be extended
Cattle rustling/banditry: No specific mention.
Social cover: No specific mention.

Joint Operations Room of Ahl al-Sham

Points of the Truce with the People's Defence Units (YPG)

24 April 2014

1. The interim truce in Aleppo and the surrounding country is the 'first stage' between the Joint Operations Room of Ahl al-Sham and People's Defence Units.

2. Continuation of traffic on the roads belonging to the two parties by prior agreement and official documentation specifying the destination and make of car sealed by Ahl al-Sham.

3. Exchange prisoners between the parties 'whitening the prisons'.

4. Facilitate living conditions of the inhabitants of YPG areas.

5. Forbid the establishment of military checkpoints except when both parties have prior knowledge in the areas under the influence of the YPG.

6. Provide for the siege on the areas of Nabil and al-Zahra and prevent the movement of all human elements in the region.

7. This six-month agreement can be extended

Joint Operations Room of Ahl al-Sham [Signed]

People's Defence Units [Signed]