Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement Agreement on Jabal Zawiyya
Country/entity
SyriaRegion
Middle East and North AfricaAgreement name
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement Agreement on Jabal ZawiyyaDate
26 Jul 2017Agreement status
Multiparty signed/agreedInterim arrangement
YesAgreement/conflict level
Intrastate/local conflict ()Stage
Ceasefire/relatedConflict nature
Inter-groupPeace process
Syrian Local AgreementsParties
Ahrar Al Sham
Abu Al Saad
[Signed]
Hayat Tahrir Al Sham
Abu Obaidah Al Shami
[Signed]Third parties
-Description
3-point agreement providing for a release of detainees; withdrawal of military forces, checkpoints and ending the state of alert; ending all media escalations.
Agreement document
Agreement document (original language)
Local agreement properties
Process type
Informal but persistent processRationale
-> 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 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 July 2017.Is there a documented link to a national peace process?
NoLink 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. Yet, the agreement is related to multiple local level processes in and around Idlib in July 2017.Name of Locale
Jabal ZawiyyaNature Of Locale
RegionGPS Lat/Long (DD)
35.733345, 36.699925Participant type
Local armed groupMediator, 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, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
All praises be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon his Prophet, his family, and all of his companions.
Page 1, We ask Allah to preserve the blood of the mujahideen and unite them. - Grievance ListAlthough the agreement does not refer to specific causes of the conflict, it lists three provisions to address grievances of the two fighting groups.
Page 1,
1. Releasing the detainees being held by both sides
2. Withdrawing all of the military forces, ending the state of alert, removing the barriers that were
put up recently, and returning to the old barriers (Rawhi ah Fork, Radar, and Al Saleeb)
3. Stopping all of the escalation and incitement in the media - Cattle rustling/banditry
No specific mention.
- Social cover
No specific mention.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
All praises be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon his Prophet, his family, and all of his companions.
This is what was agreed upon between the brothers in Hayat Tahrir Al Sham and Ahrar Al Sham in the area of Jabal Zaawiyya and others:
Releasing the detainees being held by both sides
Withdrawing all of the military forces, ending the state of alert, removing the barriers that were put up recently, and returning to the old barriers (Rawhiah Fork, Radar, and Al Saleeb)
Stopping all of the escalation and incitement in the media
We ask Allah to preserve the blood of the mujahideen and unite them.
Ahrar Al Sham
Abu Al Saad
[Signed]
Hayat Tahrir Al Sham
Abu Obaidah Al Shami
[Signed]
Written on 3 Dhul Qi’dah 1438 – 26 July 2017