Agreement between Ahrar al-Sham (AAS) and Farqa 13

  • Country/entity
    Syria
  • Region
    Middle East and North Africa
  • Agreement name
    Agreement between Ahrar al-Sham (AAS) and Farqa 13
  • Date
    22 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
    Jabhat al-Nusra [illegible]
    Al-Farqa 13 [illegible]
  • Third parties
    Witness one  [illegible]
    Witness two  [illegible]
  • Description
    Short ceasefire agreement, prohibiting attacks on each other's held areas, an end to provocations over social media, and the understanding that Sheikh Ahmed 'Alwan's comments are personal and not on behalf of Farqa 13.

Local agreement properties

  • Process type
    Isolated example
  • Rationale
    -> Local issues only; no external support mechanism; no culture of signing An agreement signed between a Salafi-Jihad group and a nationalist Syrian group is quite rare in the Syrian context due to the ideological divide. It is not possible to point to a culture of signing agreements to solve recurring issues between the two groups.
  • 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
    City
  • GPS Lat/Long (DD)
    35.647738, 36.679187
  • 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 the Merciful

    Page 1, By the presence and approval of Allah, Jabhat al-Nusra and al-Farqa 13 have agreed to represent the two sides by pledging the following.
  • Grievance List
    Although the agreement does not refer to specific causes of the conflict, it lists three provisions to address local grievances.

    Page 1,
    Firstly: There will be no attacks on the headquarters or people until the ruling of the unison committee is released and concluded.
    Secondly: There will be a cease of provocations on social media such as Twitter and [similar platforms] and of protests and [similar actions] on the ground until the ruling of the unison committee is released and concluded.
    Thirdly: The remarks of Sheikh Ahmed ‘Alwan are considered personal remarks that he is responsible for, and al-Farqa 13 do not take the consequences of these.
  • Cattle rustling/banditry

    No specific mention.

  • Social cover

    No specific mention.

Agreement text between Jabhat al-Nusra [The Victory Front] and al-Farqa 13 [Brigade 13]

By the presence and approval of Allah, Jabhat al-Nusra and al-Farqa 13 have agreed to represent the two sides by pledging the following:

Firstly:

There will be no attacks on the headquarters or people until the ruling of the unison committee is released and concluded.

Secondly:

There will be a cease of provocations on social media such as Twitter and [similar platforms] and of protests and [similar actions] on the ground until the ruling of the unison committee is released and concluded.

Thirdly:

The remarks of Sheikh Ahmed ‘Alwan are considered personal remarks that he is responsible for, and al-Farqa 13 do not take the consequences of these.

Jabhat al-Nusra [illegible]

Al-Farqa 13 [illegible]

Witness one [illegible]

Witness two [illegible]