Ceasefire between Ahrar al-Sham (AAS), al-Hamza Division, and Sultan Murad Division

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Country/entity: Syria
Region: Middle East and North Africa
Agreement name: Ceasefire between Ahrar al-Sham (AAS), al-Hamza Division, and Sultan Murad Division
Date: 13 Jun 2017
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: Signing on behalf of the First Party
al-Sultan Murad - Abu Ahmad Fahim [signed]
al-Hamza Division - Abu Bakr Saif [signed]

Signing on behalf of the Second Party
Ahrar al-Sham - Dr. Abu Bader & Captain Abu Hafs [signed]
Third parties: -
Description: Short agreement between Ahrar al-Sham, on the one hand, and Sultan Murad Division and al-Hamzah Division on the other, seeking to form a dispute resolution committee and use this as the avenue of negotiation on issues. Includes a ceasefire clause and a provision for an end to mobilisation of armed factions.

Agreement document: SY_170613_Ceasefire Ahrar al-Sham al-Hamza Division and Sultan Murad Division_EN.pdf (opens in new tab) | Download PDF
Agreement document (original language): SY_170613_Ceasefire Ahrar al-Sham al-Hamza Division and Sultan Murad Division_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 There is no formally established mechanism to support the negotiation. Moreover, this agreement cannot be linked to the national peace process. Both groups 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. 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: NA
Nature of Locale: Region
GPS Lat/Long (DD): 36.370312, 37.516544
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): Page 1, In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Page 1, All praises be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon his Prophet.
Grievance List: Although the agreement does not mention any specific cause of the conflict, it addresses the grievances that arose from the military fight between Ahrar al-Sham and Sultan Murad/al-Hamzah Division.
Cattle rustling/banditry: No specific mention.
Social cover: No specific mention.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

All praises be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon his Prophet.

It was agreed between the two parties to the conflict to form a committee to review and deal with the issues of contention between them.

The task of this committee would be to follow up with the issues that have not been dealt with, return everyone’s rights, and agree on a judicial committee that shall hear these issues of contention.

A [illegible] committee will also be formed to return rights and implement the decisions that are made by the judicial committee.

It was also agreed that there would be a ceasefire and a pledge to stop mobilization by all sides against the other sides.

The Follow-Up Committee

First Party

1. Sultan Murad / Abu Sultan

2. The al-Hamzah Division / Abu Jaber

3. al-Salman Shah / Malik Abu Sarj

4. Suqoor al-Jabal / Deebo

5. Military [illegible] / Ibrahim Al Bab

Second Party

1. Ahrar al-Sham Movement

2. The Leader, Dr. Abu Bader

3. Military Leader / Capt.

Abu Hafs

4. Abu Ali [illegible]

The Standing Committee

1. Abu Ahmad Safwah

2. Major Abu Thaer

3. Abu Al Waleed / al-Fawj

Signing on behalf of the First Party

al-Sultan Murad - Abu Ahmad Fahim [signed]

al-Hamza Division - Abu Bakr Saif [signed]

Signing on behalf of the Second Party

Ahrar al-Sham - Dr. Abu Bader &Captain Abu Hafs [signed]

The Standing Committee

[no signatories]