Agreement between al-Nusra Front and Harakat Hazm, Aleppo

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Country/entity: Syria
Region: Middle East and North Africa
Agreement name: Agreement between al-Nusra Front and Harakat Hazm, Aleppo
Date: 28 Oct 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: Signed by Abu Hafs al-Baghdadi and Ahmad Diri representing the Aleppo factions of Jabhat al-Nusra and Harakat Hazm, respectively.
Third parties: Witnesses:
Sheikh Farouq [signed] [affiliation unclear];
Sheikh Abu Bakri[signed] [affiliation unclear];
Colonel Abu Ahmad Mahitah [signed] [affiliation unclear]
Islamic Front
Army of the Mujahideen
Ansar al-Din Front
Abu Amara Brigades
Nur al-Din al-Zanki Movement
The Military Council
The Local Council of the City of Aleppo
Description: Agreement delineating the territories of the two conflict parties in Aleppo City. Agreement has unique enforcement mechanism.

Agreement document: SY_141028_Harakat Hazm and Nusra Agr, Bab al-Hawa, Idlib_EN.pdf (opens in new tab) | Download PDF
Agreement document (original language): SY_141028_Harakat Hazm and Nusra Agr, Bab al-Hawa, Idlib_AR.pdf (opens in new tab)| Download PDF

Local agreement properties

Process type: Isolated example
Rationale: -> Local issues only; external support mechanism; no culture of signing A formally-established mechanism apparently supported the negotiation between the two parties as several witnesses signed the agreement. Although tensions pre-existed the agreement in the same locale, no further information supports the case of a "culture" of signing agreements or a recurrent peace process.
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: al-Jandool, Aleppo city
Nature of Locale: Smaller
GPS Lat/Long (DD): 36.248760, 37.172783
Participant type: Local state actor
Local armed group
Domestic religious organisation/leader or other elder
Mediator, facilitator or similar: No mention of mediator or similar

Local issues

Ritual/prayer and process (including use of scripture): Page 1, In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Page 1, Allah said: “And if two factions among the believers should fight, then make settlement between the two. But if one of them oppresses the other, then fight against the one that oppresses until it returns to the ordinance of Allah.”

Page 1, May Allah support our endeavor
Grievance List: Although the agreement does not refer to specific causes of the conflict, it lists five provisions to address local grievances. It seems that the confrontation between the al-Nusra Front and the Harakat Hazam in the province of Aleppo lies at the centre of the dispute. The issue of territorial control seems particularly important to the parties.
Cattle rustling/banditry: No specific mention.
Social cover: No specific mention.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Allah said:

“And if two factions among the believers should fight, then make settlement between the two.

But if one of them oppresses the other, then fight against the one that oppresses until it returns to the ordinance of Allah.”

This is the agreement that was reached between:

Jabhat Al Nusrah in Aleppo City, represented by Abu Hafs Al Baghdadi

And Harakat Hazm in Aleppo City, represented by Ahmad Diri

The agreement:

Sparing Aleppo city from the fighting in the countryside and in the rest of the governorates

Demarcating the area for Jabhat Al Nusrah in Aleppo City to be the area from the Al Jandool Roundabout to the inside of the city and with orders that they do not attack Harakat Hazm

Demarcating the area for Harakat Hazm in Aleppo City to be the area from the Al Jandool Roundabout to the inside of the city and with orders that they do not attack Jabhat Al Nusrah

Both sides pledge to [control the discipline of their men] and to not withdraw from the gaps

In the case that the agreement is violated by any side, all of the groups shall stand against the violating group.

28/10/2014 May Allah support our endeavor

Abu Hafs Al Baghdadi

[Signed]

Ahmad Diri

[Signed]

Witnesses:

Sheikh Farouq

[illegible]

[Signed]

Sheikh Abu Bakri

[illegible]

[Signed]

Colonel Abu Ahmad Mahitah

[Signed]

[illegible]

unclear