• Country/entity

  Syria
  

• Region

  Middle East and North Africa
  

• Agreement name

  Agreement between Tahrir al-Sham and the Syrian Liberation Front to de-escalate military presence in the towns of Hama and Idlib provinces

• Date

  28 Feb 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

  From Hayʼat Tahrīr al-Shām Abu Mahood Khatab [signature]
  From Jabhat Tahrīr Suria Abu al-Yaman Turk [signature]

• Third parties

  Guarantor Major Jamil al-Salih [signature]

• Description

  Five-point agreement providing for the neutralization of fighting between Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and Jabhat Tahrir Suriyya. It is restricted to those engaged in fighting and provides that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham cannot open HQs in the mentioned areas or interfere in the affairs of the city. In return, Jabhat Tahrir Suriyya will not attack HTS HQ from factions that have stayed away from fighting.

• Agreement document

  SY_180228_Agreement between Tahrir al-Sham and the Syrian Liberation Front to de-escalate military presence in the towns of Hama and Idlib provinces.pdf | Download PDF

• Agreement document (original language)

  SY_180228_Agreement between Tahrir al-Sham and the Syrian Liberation Front to de-escalate military presence in the towns of Hama and Idlib provinces.pdf | Download PDF

Local agreement properties

• Process type

  Informal but persistent process
  

• Rationale

  -> Local issues only; no external support mechanism; culture of signing No formally established mechanism supported the negotiation between the signing parties. 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 Hama governorates in early 2018. A very similar agreement was signed between the two same parties the day before in nearby Sheikh Mustafa.

• 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

  Sheikh Mustafa, Kafr Sijnah, Al-Rakaya, Madaaya, Al-Amariah, Muwaqah, Kifrin, Haysh, Tathaya, Khan Sheikhoun, Mork, Kafrzita, and Al-Tamanah

• Nature Of Locale

  Region

• GPS Lat/Long (DD)

  35.449763, 36.588550

• Participant type

  Local armed group
  

• Mediator, facilitator or similar

  Mediator or similar referred to

  Mediator (references)

  The agreement was signed with the guarantee of a military leader affiliated with the Free Syrian Army.

  Type of mediator/facilitator/similar

  Local armed group

Local issues

In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful 28/02/18

This is what was agreed upon between the two parties

Between Jabhat Tahrīr Suria and Hayʼat Taḥrīr al-Shām in the following areas:

Sheikh Mustafa, Kafr Sijnah, Al-Rakaya, Madaaya, Al-Amariah, Muwaqah, Kifrin, Haysh, Tathaya, Khan Sheikhoun, Mork, Kafrzita, and Al-Tamanah

1 - He who remains inside his home is safe

2- This agreement does not include those who do not engage in fighting, unless it is proven otherwise.

3- Hayʼat Taḥrīr al-Shām is committed to not interfere in civil affairs in the aforementioned areas

4 - It is forbidden to open any headquarters for them " Hayʼat Taḥrīr al-Shām" in the aforementioned areas

5- Jabhat Taḥrīr Suria pledges not to attack any headquarters of Hayʼat Taḥrīr al-Shām that has been neutralized in the fight

From Hayʼat Tahrīr al-Shām From Jabhat Tahrīr Suria

Abu Mahood Khatab Abu al-Yaman Turk

[signature] [signature]

Guarantor

Major Jamil al-Salih

[signature]