Ceasefire Faylaq al-Rahman (Free Syrian Army - FSA)

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Country/entity: Syria
Region: Middle East and North Africa
Agreement name: Ceasefire Faylaq al-Rahman (Free Syrian Army - FSA)
Date: 21 Aug 2017
Agreement status: Unilateral document
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: Government
Peace process: Syrian Local Agreements
Parties: Faylaq al-Rahman
Third parties: -
Description: Unilateral statement by Faylaq al-Rahman agreeing to a ceasefire on 18/08/2017 following three days of negotiations with the Russians. The Agreement "includes breaking the siege of Eastern Ghouta, while keeping to the political process."

Agreement document: SY_170821_Ceasefire_Faylaq al-Rahman_EN.pdf (opens in new tab) | Download PDF
Agreement document (original language): SY_170821_Ceasefire_Faylaq al-Rahman_AR.pdf (opens in new tab)| Download PDF

Local agreement properties

Process type: Formal structured process
Rationale: -> Link to national level; external support mechanism; culture of signing A regional mechanism supported the negotiation of the agreement that came as the result of a negotiation held in Geneva. Moreover, Russia – one of the signing parties – has quickly assumed a central role in the negotiations between Bashar al-Assad government and the opposition factions, aiming at bringing a definitive end to the Syrian conflict.
Is there a documented link to a national peace process?: Yes
Link to national process: articulated rationale: It seems that the agreement is directly linked to the national peace process. The document refers to the Russian federation as “one of the guarantor countries for the operation of stability” in Syria. Furthermore, both parties agree to respect the “principle of the sovereignty of the Syrian Arab Republic, the unity of its lands and its regional peace” that lies at the centre of negotiation to bring an end to the Syrian conflict. The signing parties also agree to respect “the necessity to end hostilities within a comprehensive solution in Syria”.
Name of Locale: al-Jobeh, Eastern Ghouta
Nature of Locale: Region
GPS Lat/Long (DD): 33.905353, 36.479501
Participant type: Local armed group
Mediator, facilitator or similar: Mediator or similar referred to
Mediator (references): Russia seems to have facilitated the negotiations between the signing parties.
Type of mediator/facilitator/similar: Central state actor

Local issues

Ritual/prayer and process (including use of scripture): Page 1: In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Grievance List: The agreement addresses the grievances that arose from the siege of Eastern Ghouta and clashes between the Free Syrian Army and Syrian government forces.
Cattle rustling/banditry: No specific mention.
Social cover: No specific mention.

The Free Syrian Army Al-Rahman Brigade Headquarters Statement No.

08/76

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, The Merciful

The al-Rahman Brigade confronted the aggressive campaign on Jubar and Eastern Ghouta, first and foremost thanks to God and secondly [due to] to the legendary resilience which our heroes have shown on the battlefront.

At the same time, we were in favour of a ceasefire and alleviating the suffering of the Syrian people, and we announced from the beginning [that we would welcome] that, and [so] our three-day negotiations with the representatives of the Russian side resulted in the agreement of a ceasefire that will enter into force on the 18/06/2018 at 9pm Damascus time.

This agreement includes breaking the siege of Eastern Ghouta, while keeping to the political process.

This [political process] was signed 16/08/2017 in Geneva between the FSA in Jubar and Eastern Ghouta represented by al-Rahman Brigade, and between representatives of the Russian Federation.

The contents of this agreement will be made public at a press conference on Monday 21/08/2017 during which the al-Rahman Brigade will discuss the details of the agreement in full.

We in the Free Syrian Army – al-Rahman Brigade, stress to the great Syrian people that the principles of the revolution and our own goals remain with us in all our political efforts and our military confrontations, and we will persevere in our revolution until the realisation of a free and noble Syria.