Idlib Agreement between Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the National Front for Liberation, and Jabhat Ansar al-Din

• Country/entity

  Syria
  
• Region

  Middle East and North Africa
  
• Agreement name

  Idlib Agreement between Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the National Front for Liberation, and Jabhat Ansar al-Din
• Date

  24 Sep 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

  Representative of Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, Abu Saad [ILLEGIBLE] [Signed]
  Representative of the National Front for Liberation, Abu Al Nour Al Ghab [Signed]
  The Ansar Al Din Front, Sheikh Ramiz[Signed]
• Third parties

  -
• Description

  6 point agreement providing for a cessation of hostilities; the hand over of individuals guilty of killing at the checkpoint; the creation of a Shariah court, following the deterioration and death at a Sheikh Mustafa checkpoint.

• Agreement document

  SY_180924_Idlib Agreement_EN.pdf | Download PDF
• Agreement document (original language)

  SY_180924_Idlib 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 governorate 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

  al-Hbeit [Hobeit], Sheikh Mustafa
• Nature Of Locale

  Region
• GPS Lat/Long (DD)

  35.440013, 36.548661
• Participant type

  Local armed group
  
• Mediator, facilitator or similar

  Mediator or similar referred to
  Mediator (references)

  Jabhat Ansar al-Din
  Type of mediator/facilitator/similar

  Local armed group

Local issues

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

All praises be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our Prophet, Muhammad, and upon his family and all of his companions.

On 14 Muharram 1440 Hijri (24/9/2018), the brothers from the Hayat Tahrir Al Sham and the National Front for Liberation met to attend the [illegible].

They agreed on the following:

1. Immediate cessation of all escalatory actions between the two sides

2. Handing over of all of the individuals who caused the incident of the killing of the brothers at the [ILLEGIBLE] Checkpoint of the National Front for Liberation to the Ansar Al Din Front

3. With regards to the incident at the Sheikh Mustafa Checkpoint:

Handing over all of the individuals who fired shots, from both sides, to the Ansar Al Din Front because it is the guarantor and supervisor of the matter until these individuals can be referred to the Sharia committee that is formed by the two sides

4. Releasing the detainees that the National Front for Liberation has as soon as the brothers who caused the shooting incident are handed over

5. Both sides will provide all guarantees to the Sharia committee

6. Within 24 hours from today, the Sharia committee shall start operating

Representative of Hayat Tahrir Al Sham

Abu Saad [ILLEGIBLE]

[Signed]

Representative of the National Front for Liberation

Abu Al Nour Al Ghab

[Signed]

The Ansar Al Din Front

Sheikh Ramiz

[Signed]

14 Muharram 1440 - 24/9/2018