• Country/entity

  Syria
  

• Region

  Middle East and North Africa
  

• Agreement name

  Ceasefire by Jaysh al-Islam

• Date

  2 May 2016

• Agreement status

  Multiparty signed/agreed

• Interim arrangement

  Yes

• Agreement/conflict level

  Intrastate/local conflict ( Syrian Conflicts (1948 - ) (1976 - 2005) (2011 - ) )

• Stage

  Ceasefire/related

• Conflict nature

  Inter-group

• Peace process

  Syrian Local Agreements

• Parties

  Faylaq al-Rahman;
  Jaysh al-Islam;
  Jabhat al-Nusra;

• Third parties

  -

• Description

  Short ruling by the Syrian Islamic Council announced by Jaysh al-Islam on behalf of the people of Ghouta, Damascus. Ruling provides for the opening of roads; development of food; a return of factions to their previous territorial holdings and a return of possessions; release of prisoners; a committee will be formed to investigate bloodshed and transfer possessions.

• Agreement document

  SY_160502_Ceasefire by Jaysh al-Islam_EN.pdf | Download PDF

• Agreement document (original language)

  SY_160502_Ceasefire by Jaysh al-Islam_AR.pdf | Download PDF

Local agreement properties

• Process type

  Isolated example
  

• Rationale

  -> Local issues only; no external support mechanism; no culture of signing There is no formally established mechanism to support the negotiation between Salafi armed groups. Moreover, this agreement cannot be linked to the national peace process. Indeed, both groups have a Salafist ideology; they oppose the rule of Bashar al-Assad in Syria and reject the idea of a national negotiation to solve the conflict. Although tensions existed between the fighting groups since March 2016, and one agreement had been signed by Haysh al-Islam in the same locale on 19 July 2015, it seems complicated to refer to a culture of signing agreements and to a will to establish a 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

  East Ghouta

• Nature Of Locale

  Region

• GPS Lat/Long (DD)

  33.535720, 36.348073

• Participant type

  Local armed group
  

• Mediator, facilitator or similar

  No mention of mediator or similar

Local issues

Jaysh al-Islam [The Army of Islam]

The General Command

Number 817

2/5/2016, corresponding to 24 Regep 1437

Statement

A response to the will and initiative of the people of East Ghouta which was put forward on Friday 29/4/2016, and in our concern for the right of bloodshed and the redirecting of rifles in the right direction.

We have therefore announced to them our consent to this ceasefire initiative.

The response of the Legion at the time to the initiative of the people was of indignity and disrespect, by a bloodshed.

They were also dedicated to dividing Ghouta and confirmed their hate, as the Leader of Faylaq al-Rahman [The al-Rahman Legion] said:

“There is always a lot in Jaysh al-Islam, and we will not accept anything else but the status of al-Rahman, we prove it as it is, because we are against the departure of just some civilians”.

Thereafter, the concerned committee made an initiative by making adjustments to the initiative.

They provided it to us and we agreed to it again.

Jaysh al-Islam do indeed show our people in East Ghouta, and in Syria in general, that Jaysh al-Islam immediately responded to the initiative of the Syrian Islamic Council.

It released a statement with the number 6/2016 on 23 Regep 1437, corresponding to 30 April 2016, but we did not hear a response from the other part, except from the answer of a gun in the appearance of Mujahideen and their retreat from the fronts.

They cut off the supply routes.

They were just absorbed in their aggression and military determination and on their siege of the Mujahideen and their families in cooperation with their allies Jaysh al-Fustat [The Army of Fustat] in addition to Qins al-Muwatineen [The Snipers of the Citizens], without respecting the sacredness of blood.

Meanwhile, the brothers in Faylaq al-Rahman announced their preparation for a ceasefire, as this announcement ignored the position of Jabhat al-Nusra [The Nusra Front] and undermined the nation of the two halves in hate.

It did not specify details of the solution.

Afterwards, factions of the Legion raided the area of al-‘Ab at dawn!

Thus, our legal and revolutionary responsibility pledges us to again confirm our agreement to the ceasefire initiative introduced by the people of Ghouta, which listed the following:

1-All the public roads will be opened, all the armed demonstrations (barricades, snipers, blockades) in the freed areas will be cancelled.

2-Food and medical staff will enter as well as the injured will be transported to the hospitals urgently.

There will be no resistance to the ambulances and the Civil Defence, and their actions will be facilitated.

3-Every faction will return to the place they were before last Wednesday, corresponding to 27/4/2016.

4-The detainees will be set free from the two sides, and there will be no resistance to the Mujahideen.

5-A committee will be established consisting of three people from each side with the purpose of picking up and delivering the headquarters, the weapons and the belongings.

6-The headquarters, the money, the belongings and the weapons will return to every faction as they were before Wednesday.

7-A committee will be established to investigate the bloodshed of the two sides, consisting of two judges from each side.

The two sides will agree on a favourite judge, under the supervision of the unified judiciary.

8-The decisions of the different old headquarters (before Wednesday) will be taken by the Judicial Committee.

Tell all our fighting brothers in Faylaq al-Rahman and their allies that your brothers in Jaysh al-Islam must take care of your blood and take care of themselves.

For those of you who want to fire at your brothers and shed their blood, we advise you not to do this. [

Also tell them] that the fronts against the Assad gangs are waiting for us all.

Inform the Assad gangs and their allies, that we are capable – Allah willing – to solve our differences and gather our ranks in order to answer to their aggression and overthrow them.

Allah be behind our intention