Agreement between Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Syrian Liberation Front and Suqur al-Sham Brigades

• Country/entity

  Syria
  
• Region

  Middle East and North Africa
  
• Agreement name

  Agreement between Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Syrian Liberation Front and Suqur al-Sham Brigades
• Date

  24 Apr 2018
• 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

  Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, signed by Abu Muhammed al-Jolani;
  Syrian Liberation Front, signed by Hasan Muhammad Soufan;
  Suqur al-Sham [Hawks of the Levant] Brigades, signed by Abu Zaher.
• Third parties

  -
• Description

  Six-point agreement providing for an end to hostilities, (2) an end to detentions, opening roads, removing checkpoints and returning detainees; (3) ending media incitement; (4) prisoner release; (5) forming two committees, implementation and mediation, and (6) beginning regular consultations.

• Agreement document

  SY_180424_FSA, Syrian Hawks Agreement_EN.pdf | Download PDF
• Agreement document (original language)

  SY_180424_FSA, Syrian Hawks Agreement_AR.pdf | 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 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. Yet, it seems that both signing parties (especially Hayat Tahrir al-Sham) 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. The agreement is related to multiple local level processes in Idlib and Aleppo governorates in 2018.
• 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. Finally, the agreement should be understood in the context of an “intra-religious insurgent groups” conflict where several factions that all oppose Bashar al-Assad engaged in fighting and took some distance from their initial raison d’être in the context of the Syrian civil war.
• Name of Locale

  NA
• Nature Of Locale

  Region
• GPS Lat/Long (DD)

  35.649813, 36.678543
• Participant type

  Local armed group
  
• Mediator, facilitator or similar

  Mediator or similar referred to
  Mediator (references)

  uyt
  Type of mediator/facilitator/similar

Local issues

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

All praises to Allah, who said that “[t]he believers are but brothers, so make settlement between your brothers.

And fear Allah that you may receive mercy”, and peace and blessings be upon the Prophet of Allah, who said that “[a]ll of a Muslim is prohibited for another Muslim;

his blood, his wealth, and his honor.”

An agreement was reached between Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, the Syrian Liberation Front, and the Syrian Hawks, as follows:

First:

Stopping killing between them permanently, starting from the date that this agreement is signed and disseminated on [illegible].

Second:

Ending all detentions between the two sides, opening blocked roads, removing barriers, and returning detainees to their homes

Third:

Completely ending media incitement on official and individual media accounts, and Muslims adhere to their promises

Fourth:

Releasing the detainees from both sides based on a timeline established between the two sides

Fifth:

Forming a committee made up of both sides, and a mediation committee, to follow up with the implementation of this agreement

Sixth:

Starting regular consultations to reach a comprehensive solution in the following fields:

military, political, administrative, and judicial

Tuesday

Written on 8 Shaaban 1439

24 April 2018

Signatories:

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham

[Signed]

Abu Muhammad Al Jolani

The Syrian Liberation Front

[Signed]

Hasan Muhammad Soufan

The Syrian Hawks

[Signed]

Abu Zaher