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Syria: opposition forces leave Daraa under truce with Russia and regime

August 27, 2021 at 1:06 pm

A picture shows a military vehicle belonging to the Russian and Syrian coalition troops in the Syrian district of Daraa al-Balad in Syria’s southern province of Daraa, on August 24, 2021 [SAM HARIRI/AFP via Getty Images]

Opposition forces and their families have departed from Syria’s southern province of Daraa under a truce brokered by Russia, following a two-month siege by the Assad regime.

The area has witnessed intense fighting in the three years following a previous Moscow-brokered deal. Regime forces and allied Iranian-backed militias have bombarded parts of the province in efforts to bring it under full state control.

The 2018 deal allowed opposition forces to escape to the north-west of the country and a reconciliation process for those who stayed behind in return for their surrender. It was violated numerous times by the regime of Bashar Al-Assad, including the torture to death of at least 98 former rebel fighters.

Tensions were high earlier this year when residents of Daraa refused to vote in the Syrian presidential election. The siege was imposed when they described the election as a sham.

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Following numerous failed negotiations and ceasefires, Syrian ally Russia this week managed to broker a new deal with the opposition forces in Daraa, similar to the 2018 agreement.

Although the terms have not been announced clearly, under this truce the rebel fighters are again allowed to move to opposition-held territories in the north while the siege is lifted temporarily. The regime is then expected to take full control of Daraa province.

A hundred opposition fighters have already been reported to have left the province on buses on Tuesday; around fifty more and their families left yesterday. Any remaining fighters are required to surrender their arms and submit to the regime and an uncertain future.

The recent siege and fighting, which forced tens of thousands of civilians to flee the southern province, also revealed Russia’s underlying tensions with the Assad regime and the Iranian-backed militias in Syria. While Moscow has attempted to act as a mediator and urged Assad to reconcile with the opposition, the regime and the militias have violated such efforts with the aim of retaking all territories still under opposition control.