Agreement for a ceasefire and exchange of prisoners between Tahrir al-Sham and the National Liberation Front (NLF) in Idlib

  • Country/entity
    Syria
  • Region
    Middle East and North Africa
  • Agreement name
    Agreement for a ceasefire and exchange of prisoners between Tahrir al-Sham and the National Liberation Front (NLF) in Idlib
  • Date
    10 Jan 2019
  • 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
    On the side of Hayʼat Tahrīr al-Shām                    
    [Stamp]+[signature]                                                

    On the side of Jabhat al-Wataniya lil-Tahrīr
     Harakat aḥrāru a-Shām al-islāmiyah [Islamic Movement of the Free Men of the Levant]                                                                                   

    Jaber Ali Pasha  
     [signature]                                                                                

    Alwiyat Suqour al-Sham [The Sham Falcons Brigades]                                                                                  

    Abu Issa al-Shiekh                                                                                  
    [signature]
  • Third parties
    -
  • Description
    In this agreement, the signing parties agree to a ceasefire, exchange of detainees, as well as recognising the authority of the rescue government (Salvation Government) over the territories in Idlib.

Local agreement properties

  • Process type
    Informal but persistent process
  • Rationale
    No formally established mechanism supported the negotiation between the two armed groups. Moreover, this agreement cannot be linked to the national peace process. Indeed, both groups 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 their quarrels through agreements. Finally, this agreement is one of the several agreements signed between the two groups throughout 2018 and 2019 in Idlib and Aleppo governorate.
  • 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
    Region
  • GPS Lat/Long (DD)
    35.619521, 36.783728
  • 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 Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful 10/01/2019

    Page 1, Praise be to God and prayers and peace be upon the Messenger of God, his family and companions, and his supporter, and after:
  • Grievance List
    The agreement addresses the local grievances that arose from the clashes between two opposition groups in Idlib governorate.
  • Cattle rustling/banditry

    No specific mention.

  • Social cover

    No specific mention.

In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful 10/01/2019

Praise be to God and prayers and peace be upon the Messenger of God, his family and companions, and his supporter, and after:

It was agreed between Hayʼat Tahrīr al-Shām [Organization for the Liberation of the Levant] from one side and the Jabhat al-Wataniya lil-Tahrīr [The National Front for Liberation] from the other side on the following:

- An immediate ceasefire between the two sides and remove the mounds and the barriers.

- Exchange detainees from both sides, who were arrested against the background of recent events

- The whole area to be administratively under the rescue government

Released on Thursday

Jumada Al-Awwal 3, 1440

10/1/2019

On the side of Hayʼat Tahrīr al-Shām On the side of Jabhat al-Wataniya lil-Tahrīr

[Stamp]+[signature] Harakat aḥrāru a-Shām al-islāmiyah [Islamic Movement of the Free Men of the Levant]

Jaber Ali Pasha

[signature]

Alwiyat Suqour al-Sham [The Sham Falcons Brigades]

Abu Issa al-Shiekh

[signature]