Agreement between National Front for Liberation and the Hayat Tahir al-Sham (HTS)

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Country/entity: Syria
Region: Middle East and North Africa
Agreement name: Agreement between National Front for Liberation and the Hayat Tahir al-Sham (HTS)
Date: 6 Oct 2018
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: Representative of the National Front Liberation
Abu Al Bara’a Hasan Soufan
[Signed]

Representative of the Hayat Tahrir Al Sham
Dr. Madhhar Luwais
[Signed]
Third parties: -
Description: Four point agreement providing for (1) removal of armed presence from town; (2) release of prisoners; (3) for the courts to decide on civilian's rights; and (4) that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is responsible for persons killed and property taken during the last ceasefire violation.

Agreement document: SY_181007_Agreement between HTS and National Front_EN.pdf (opens in new tab) | Download PDF
Agreement document (original language): SY_181007_Agreement between HTS and National Front_AR.pdf (opens in new tab)| Download PDF

Groups

Children/youth: No specific mention.
Disabled persons: No specific mention.
Elderly/age: No specific mention.
Migrant workers: No specific mention.
Racial/ethnic/national group: No specific mention.
Religious groups: No specific mention.
Indigenous people: No specific mention.
Other groups: No specific mention.
Refugees/displaced persons: No specific mention.
Social class: No specific mention.

Gender

Women, girls and gender: No specific mention.
Men and boys: No specific mention.
LGBTI: No specific mention.
Family: No specific mention.

State definition

Nature of state (general): No specific mention.
State configuration: No specific mention.
Self determination: No specific mention.
Referendum: No specific mention.
State symbols: No specific mention.
Independence/secession: No specific mention.
Accession/unification: No specific mention.
Border delimitation: No specific mention.
Cross-border provision: No specific mention.

Governance

Political institutions (new or reformed): No specific mention.
Elections: No specific mention.
Electoral commission: No specific mention.
Political parties reform: No specific mention.
Civil society: No specific mention.
Traditional/religious leaders: No specific mention.
Public administration: No specific mention.
Constitution: No specific mention.

Power sharing

Political power sharing: No specific mention.
Territorial power sharing: No specific mention.
Economic power sharing: No specific mention.
Military power sharing: No specific mention.

Human rights and equality

Human rights/RoL general: Page 1, With regards to the civilians and their rights, these issues are referred to a judicial committee that is to be agreed upon within a week from the date of this statement
Bill of rights/similar: No specific mention.
Treaty incorporation: No specific mention.
Civil and political rights: No specific mention.
Socio-economic rights: No specific mention.

Rights related issues

Citizenship: No specific mention.
Democracy: No specific mention.
Detention procedures: No specific mention.
Media and communication: No specific mention.
Mobility/access: No specific mention.
Protection measures: No specific mention.
Other: No specific mention.

Rights institutions

NHRI: No specific mention.
Regional or international human rights institutions: No specific mention.

Justice sector reform

Criminal justice and emergency law: No specific mention.
State of emergency provisions: No specific mention.
Judiciary and courts: Page 1, With regards to the civilians and their rights, these issues are referred to a judicial committee that is to be agreed upon within a week from the date of this statement
Prisons and detention: No specific mention.
Traditional Laws: No specific mention.

Socio-economic reconstruction

Development or socio-economic reconstruction: No specific mention.
National economic plan: No specific mention.
Natural resources: No specific mention.
International funds: No specific mention.
Business: No specific mention.
Taxation: No specific mention.
Banks: No specific mention.

Land, property and environment

Land reform/rights: No specific mention.
Pastoralist/nomadism rights: No specific mention.
Cultural heritage: No specific mention.
Environment: No specific mention.
Water or riparian rights or access: No specific mention.

Security sector

Security Guarantees: Page 1, - Removing the military manifestations and bringing back civilian life to its normal state in the areas of the conflict
Ceasefire: Security sector→Ceasefire→Ceasefire provision
[Summary] Agreement does not have an explicit ceasefire, but implies a ceasefire, following the previous violation for which it assigns responsibility with HTS.
Police: Page 1, - Immediately releasing all of the people who were detained, from either side, because of the most recent events and immediately searching for and apprehending those wanted by the law
Armed forces: No specific mention.
DDR: Security sector→DDR→Demilitarisation provisions
Page 1, - Removing the military manifestations and bringing back civilian life to its normal state in the areas of the conflict
Intelligence services: No specific mention.
Parastatal/rebel and opposition group forces: Page 1, - Removing the military manifestations and bringing back civilian life to its normal state in the areas of the conflict

Page 1, Hayat Tahrir Al Sham’s guarantee for the most recent violation of the ceasefire that was agreed upon, and it is responsible for the people killed and property taken
Withdrawal of foreign forces: No specific mention.
Corruption: No specific mention.
Crime/organised crime: No specific mention.
Drugs: No specific mention.
Terrorism: No specific mention.

Transitional justice

Transitional justice general: No specific mention.
Amnesty/pardon: No specific mention.
Courts: No specific mention.
Mechanism: No specific mention.
Prisoner release: Page 1, - Immediately releasing all of the people who were detained, from either side, because of the most recent events and immediately searching for and apprehending those wanted by the law
Vetting: No specific mention.
Victims: No specific mention.
Missing persons: No specific mention.
Reparations: Transitional justice→Reparations→Material reparations
Page 1, Hayat Tahrir Al Sham’s guarantee for the most recent violation of the ceasefire that was agreed upon, and it is responsible for the people killed and property taken
Reconciliation: No specific mention.

Implementation

UN signatory: No specific mention.
Other international signatory: No specific mention.
Referendum for agreement: No specific mention.
International mission/force/similar: No specific mention.
Enforcement mechanism: No specific mention.
Related cases: No specific mention.
Source: Hosein Mortada website (2018), An agreement between "Tahrir al-Sham" and "Nour al-Din al-Zanki" to stop the fighting between the two factions in the countryside of Aleppo, October 6, https://web.archive.org/save/http://www.hoseinmortada.com/2018/10/06/اتفاق-بين-تحرير-الشام-ونور-الدين-الزن/

Agreement between National Front for Liberation and the Hayat Tahrir Al Sham

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

All praises be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Prophet of Allah, his family, his companions, and his allies.

An agreement has been reached between the brothers in the National Front for Liberation and the Hayat Tahrir Al Sham with regards to the recent problem, and it is as follows:

- Removing the military manifestations and bringing back civilian life to its normal state in the areas of the conflict

- Immediately releasing all of the people who were detained, from either side, because of the most recent events and immediately searching for and apprehending those wanted by the law

- With regards to the civilians and their rights, these issues are referred to a judicial committee that is to be agreed upon within a week from the date of this statement

- Hayat Tahrir Al Sham’s guarantee for the most recent violation of the ceasefire that wasagreed upon, and it is responsible for the people killed and property taken

Representative of the National Front LiberationAbu Al Bara’a Hasan Soufan

[Signed]

Representative of the Hayat Tahrir Al Sham Dr. Madhhar Luwais