Agreement between the Civilian Democratic Council and Sheikh Masour and the Executive Committee of the Royal Commission on the Application of the Agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces

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Country/entity: Syria
Region: Middle East and North Africa
Agreement name: Agreement between the Civilian Democratic Council and Sheikh Masour and the Executive Committee of the Royal Commission on the Application of the Agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces
Date: 1 Apr 2025
Agreement status: Multiparty signed/agreed
Interim arrangement: Yes
Agreement/conflict level: Intrastate/intrastate conflict
Syrian Conflicts (1948 - ) (1976 - 2005) (2011 - )
The agreements relate to three different conflict contexts. Israel-Syria and Syria-Lebanon. The Syrian-Israeli conflict was a key factor for the Syrian intervention during the Lebanese Civil War, with Syrian-backed Palestinian Liberation Army units intervened in 1976 against the Palestinian/Leftist militias. Following a massacre at Tel al-Zaatar that year, Syria was forced to accept a ceasefire at a meeting of the Arab League. However, the Arab League also mandated an Arab Deterrence Force, consisting of mostly Syrian soldiers with token contributions from other Arab League states, thus further legitimizing the Syrian presence in Lebanon. During a second bout of fighting that began in 1989, caused by the formation of rival Lebanese regimes in East and West Beirut, the Syrian-backed regime won and in 1991 the ‘Treaty of Brotherhood, Cooperation and Coordination’ was signed to legalize the Syrian occupation as a means to ensure the security of Syria. Syrian forces were forced to withdraw in 2005 following possible involvement in the assassination of Lebanon’s President Hariri.

Syria-internal. In 2011, domestic upheaval following a wave of protests across the Arab World soon led to violent repression of protestors by Syrian government troops. The violence progressed steadily and by July 2011 the Free Syrian Army (FSA) was formed consisting of defected military units and new recruits. The FSA and rebel umbrella group known as the Syrian National Council represented the first attempt at coordinating rebel factions in late 2011. However, a steady influx of foreign fighters and increased sectarianism radicalised opposition groups, which relied on foreign funding. The nature of the conflict changed drastically in late 2013 as infighting among the opposition groups increased. One of the more significant developments was the split between the al-Qaeda outfits the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, ISIS), and Jabhat al-Nusra in early 2014 in addition to the intensified targeting of other rebel factions by ISIS fighters in particular, including the Kurdish Peshmerga, the FSA and other jihadist outfits. Since the summer of 2014, the conflict was further internationalized when ISIS announced the formation of an Islamic state eroding the state line between Iraq and Syria and also in mid-2015 when Russian forces intervened on behalf of the Bashar al-Assad government in Damascus.
Stage: Framework/substantive - partial
Conflict nature: Government/territory
Peace process: Syrian peace process
Parties: Muqaddam Muhammad Abd al-Ghani - Representative of the Committee (assigned by the Presidency of the Republic)
Lt. Masoud Boutell - Joint Presidency of the Council (Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiya Civil Council)
Lt. Haytham Sulaiman - Joint Presidency of the Council (Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiya Civil Council)
Third parties: -
Description: Local security-governance pact covering two Kurdish-majority Aleppo neighbourhoods. Key points: protection of ethnic diversity; staged implementation via joint central committees; MoI-Internal Security cooperation; removal of barriers and withdrawal of military units east of the Euphrates; freedom of movement and non-harassment of refugees; compensation for displaced; family-prisoner exchanges; equal neighbourhood representation in Aleppo Provincial Council and economic bodies; preservation of existing municipal services pending final political solution.

Agreement document: SY_250401_Agreement text between the Civil Council of Afrin and Sheikh_EN (opens in new tab) | Download PDF
Agreement document (original language): SY_250401_Agreement text between the Civil Council of Afrin and Sheikh (opens in new tab)| Download PDF
Source of document: https://hawarnews.com/en/agreement-between-sheikh-maqsoud-ashrafieh-neighborhood-councils-damascus-authority

Groups

Children/youth: No specific mention.
Disabled persons: No specific mention.
Elderly/age: No specific mention.
Migrant workers: No specific mention.
Racial/ethnic/national group: Groups→Racial/ethnic/national group→Substantive
First: Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiya neighborhoods are considered Kurdish-majority areas with Arab, Armenian, and other minorities who live there and belong to it. We affirm the protection and respect of the social and cultural privacy of these two neighborhoods as a necessary matter to strengthen peaceful coexistence.
Religious groups: No specific mention.
Indigenous people: No specific mention.
Other groups: No specific mention.
Refugees/displaced persons: Groups→Refugees/displaced persons→Substantive
Eighth: Ensuring freedom of movement for the residents of the neighborhoods, and preventing any prosecution or harassment of any person who was a refugee before the agreement, provided this does not conflict with Syrian blood.
Twelfth: Compensating the displaced persons from the two neighborhoods in Aleppo province, and exchanging the families of all prisoners after liberation.
Social class: No specific mention.

Gender

Women, girls and gender: No specific mention.
Men and boys: No specific mention.
LGBTI: No specific mention.
Family: Twelfth: Compensating the displaced persons from the two neighborhoods in Aleppo province, and exchanging the families of all prisoners after liberation.

State definition

Nature of state (general): No specific mention.
State configuration: No specific mention.
Self determination: No specific mention.
Referendum: No specific mention.
State symbols: No specific mention.
Independence/secession: No specific mention.
Accession/unification: No specific mention.
Border delimitation: No specific mention.
Cross-border provision: No specific mention.

Governance

Political institutions (new or reformed): Governance→Political institutions (new or reformed)→General references
Eleventh: The work of the civic institutions in the neighborhoods shall be coordinated with the municipal institutions and the services provided to them, without discrimination from other neighborhoods, through the municipal offices present in the neighborhoods.
Elections: No specific mention.
Electoral commission: No specific mention.
Political parties reform: No specific mention.
Civil society: Eleventh: The work of the civic institutions in the neighborhoods shall be coordinated with the municipal institutions and the services provided to them, without discrimination from other neighborhoods, through the municipal offices present in the neighborhoods.
Thirteenth: The neighborhoods shall enjoy the right of complete and fair representation in the Aleppo Provincial Council, as well as in the chambers of commerce and industry, and other fields, in accordance with the applicable laws.
Traditional/religious leaders: No specific mention.
Public administration: Third: The Ministry of Interior shall cooperate with the internal security forces, take responsibility for protecting the residents of the two neighborhoods, and prevent any attacks or assaults against them.
Fourteenth: Preserving the service, administrative, financial, and municipal institutions and the local councils existing in the neighborhoods, until the agreement of the joint central committees on a sustainable solution.
Constitution: No specific mention.

Power sharing

Political power sharing: Power sharing→Political power sharing→Proportionality in legislature
Sub-state level
Thirteenth: The neighborhoods shall enjoy the right of complete and fair representation in the Aleppo Provincial Council, as well as in the chambers of commerce and industry, and other fields, in accordance with the applicable laws.
Territorial power sharing: No specific mention.
Economic power sharing: No specific mention.
Military power sharing: No specific mention.

Human rights and equality

Human rights/RoL general: No specific mention.
Bill of rights/similar: No specific mention.
Treaty incorporation: No specific mention.
Civil and political rights: Human rights and equality→Civil and political rights→Equality
First: Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiya neighborhoods are considered Kurdish-majority areas with Arab, Armenian, and other minorities who live there and belong to it. We affirm the protection and respect of the social and cultural privacy of these two neighborhoods as a necessary matter to strengthen peaceful coexistence.
Thirteenth: The neighborhoods shall enjoy the right of complete and fair representation in the Aleppo Provincial Council, as well as in the chambers of commerce and industry, and other fields, in accordance with the applicable laws.
Human rights and equality→Civil and political rights→Freedom of movement
Eighth: Ensuring freedom of movement for the residents of the neighborhoods, and preventing any prosecution or harassment of any person who was a refugee before the agreement, provided this does not conflict with Syrian blood.
Human rights and equality→Civil and political rights→Vote and take part
Thirteenth: The neighborhoods shall enjoy the right of complete and fair representation in the Aleppo Provincial Council, as well as in the chambers of commerce and industry, and other fields, in accordance with the applicable laws.
Socio-economic rights: No specific mention.

Rights related issues

Citizenship: No specific mention.
Democracy: No specific mention.
Detention procedures: No specific mention.
Media and communication: No specific mention.
Mobility/access: Fifth: Removing the earthen barriers from the main roads, while maintaining the main checkpoints under the supervision of the internal security forces affiliated with the Ministry of Interior, until stability and calm are achieved in the neighborhoods.
Eighth: Ensuring freedom of movement for the residents of the neighborhoods, and preventing any prosecution or harassment of any person who was a refugee before the agreement, provided this does not conflict with Syrian blood.
Ninth: Forming a coordination committee to facilitate movement and transportation between Aleppo city and the areas of northern and eastern Syria.
Protection measures: Rights related issues→Protection measures→Protection of civilians
Third: The Ministry of Interior shall cooperate with the internal security forces, take responsibility for protecting the residents of the two neighborhoods, and prevent any attacks or assaults against them.
Fourth: Preserving domestic peace and the safety of citizens, preventing armed demonstrations in the neighborhoods, and ensuring that weapons remain exclusively in the hands of the internal security forces affiliated with the Ministry of Interior in the neighborhoods.
Other: No specific mention.

Rights institutions

NHRI: No specific mention.
Regional or international human rights institutions: No specific mention.

Justice sector reform

Criminal justice and emergency law: No specific mention.
State of emergency provisions: No specific mention.
Judiciary and courts: No specific mention.
Prisons and detention: No specific mention.
Traditional Laws: No specific mention.

Socio-economic reconstruction

Development or socio-economic reconstruction: No specific mention.
National economic plan: No specific mention.
Natural resources: No specific mention.
International funds: No specific mention.
Business: No specific mention.
Taxation: No specific mention.
Banks: No specific mention.

Land, property and environment

Land reform/rights: No specific mention.
Pastoralist/nomadism rights: No specific mention.
Cultural heritage: No specific mention.
Environment: No specific mention.
Water or riparian rights or access: No specific mention.

Security sector

Security Guarantees: First: Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiya neighborhoods are considered Kurdish-majority areas with Arab, Armenian, and other minorities who live there and belong to it. We affirm the protection and respect of the social and cultural privacy of these two neighborhoods as a necessary matter to strengthen peaceful coexistence.
Third: The Ministry of Interior shall cooperate with the internal security forces, take responsibility for protecting the residents of the two neighborhoods, and prevent any attacks or assaults against them.
Fourth: Preserving domestic peace and the safety of citizens, preventing armed demonstrations in the neighborhoods, and ensuring that weapons remain exclusively in the hands of the internal security forces affiliated with the Ministry of Interior in the neighborhoods.
Ceasefire: No specific mention.
Police: Third: The Ministry of Interior shall cooperate with the internal security forces, take responsibility for protecting the residents of the two neighborhoods, and prevent any attacks or assaults against them.
Fourth: Preserving domestic peace and the safety of citizens, preventing armed demonstrations in the neighborhoods, and ensuring that weapons remain exclusively in the hands of the internal security forces affiliated with the Ministry of Interior in the neighborhoods.
Fifth: Removing the earthen barriers from the main roads, while maintaining the main checkpoints under the supervision of the internal security forces affiliated with the Ministry of Interior, until stability and calm are achieved in the neighborhoods.
Seventh: Organizing internal security centers in both Ashrafiya and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods.
Armed forces: Sixth: Withdrawing military forces to the eastern Euphrates region, by their leadership.
DDR: No specific mention.
Intelligence services: No specific mention.
Parastatal/rebel and opposition group forces: No specific mention.
Withdrawal of foreign forces: No specific mention.
Corruption: No specific mention.
Crime/organised crime: No specific mention.
Drugs: No specific mention.
Terrorism: No specific mention.

Transitional justice

Transitional justice general: No specific mention.
Amnesty/pardon: No specific mention.
Courts: No specific mention.
Mechanism: No specific mention.
Prisoner release: Twelfth: Compensating the displaced persons from the two neighborhoods in Aleppo province, and exchanging the families of all prisoners after liberation.
Vetting: No specific mention.
Victims: No specific mention.
Missing persons: No specific mention.
Reparations: Transitional justice→Reparations→Material reparations
Twelfth: Compensating the displaced persons from the two neighborhoods in Aleppo province, and exchanging the families of all prisoners after liberation.
Reconciliation: No specific mention.

Implementation

UN signatory: No specific mention.
Other international signatory: No specific mention.
Referendum for agreement: No specific mention.
International mission/force/similar: No specific mention.
Enforcement mechanism: Second: The provisions of this agreement shall be implemented in stages until the agreement of the joint central committees on a sustainable solution.
Tenth: Forming committees in the neighborhoods to implement the agreement on the ground.

Agreement Text Between the Ashrafiya and Sheikh Maqsoud Civil Council and the Assigned Committee by the Presidency of the Republic in Implementation of the Agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces

Starting from the commitment to strengthen the shared living, preserving domestic peace, and achieving the goals of the Syrian revolution in freedom and dignity, and starting from the belief that consensus among the various components of the Syrian people is the optimal path to confront the current challenges, this agreement has been concluded on the following:

First: Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiya neighborhoods are considered Kurdish-majority areas with Arab, Armenian, and other minorities who live there and belong to it. We affirm the protection and respect of the social and cultural privacy of these two neighborhoods as a necessary matter to strengthen peaceful coexistence.

Second: The provisions of this agreement shall be implemented in stages until the agreement of the joint central committees on a sustainable solution.

Third: The Ministry of Interior shall cooperate with the internal security forces, take responsibility for protecting the residents of the two neighborhoods, and prevent any attacks or assaults against them.

Fourth: Preserving domestic peace and the safety of citizens, preventing armed demonstrations in the neighborhoods, and ensuring that weapons remain exclusively in the hands of the internal security forces affiliated with the Ministry of Interior in the neighborhoods.

Fifth: Removing the earthen barriers from the main roads, while maintaining the main checkpoints under the supervision of the internal security forces affiliated with the Ministry of Interior, until stability and calm are achieved in the neighborhoods.

Sixth: Withdrawing military forces to the eastern Euphrates region, by their leadership.

Seventh: Organizing internal security centers in both Ashrafiya and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods.

Eighth: Ensuring freedom of movement for the residents of the neighborhoods, and preventing any prosecution or harassment of any person who was a refugee before the agreement, provided this does not conflict with Syrian blood.

Ninth: Forming a coordination committee to facilitate movement and transportation between Aleppo city and the areas of northern and eastern Syria.

Tenth: Forming committees in the neighborhoods to implement the agreement on the ground.

Eleventh: The work of the civic institutions in the neighborhoods shall be coordinated with the municipal institutions and the services provided to them, without discrimination from other neighborhoods, through the municipal offices present in the neighborhoods.

Twelfth: Compensating the displaced persons from the two neighborhoods in Aleppo province, and exchanging the families of all prisoners after liberation.

Thirteenth: The neighborhoods shall enjoy the right of complete and fair representation in the Aleppo Provincial Council, as well as in the chambers of commerce and industry, and other fields, in accordance with the applicable laws.

Fourteenth: Preserving the service, administrative, financial, and municipal institutions and the local councils existing in the neighborhoods, until the agreement of the joint central committees on a sustainable solution.

Date:

4/1/2025

Representative of the Committee:

1- Muqaddam Muhammad Abd al-Ghani - Committee Representative Joint Presidency of the Council:

[signature]

Lt. Masoud Boutell [signature] Lt.

Haytham Sulaiman [signature]