Despite an agreement signed last March between the Syrian government of President Ahmed Al-Sharaa and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the two sides appear to be further apart than ever after clashes this week.
The agreement stipulated that the SDF, who control northeastern Syria, should integrate into the Syrian government’s military and civil structures, but measures recently taken by the Kurdish-dominated group suggest that there is no sign that this will happen any time soon.
On Wednesday, two civilians were killed and three others wounded when the SDF shelled villages held by the Syrian government in eastern Aleppo province.
Political channels between Damascus and the SDF seem blocked, even though both sides are trying to avoid direct military confrontation, despite Wednesday’s incident.
The SDF still insists on full political decentralisation, which is the "core of the self-administration project", said Saleh Muslim, a senior leader in the Democratic Union Party (PYD), the political movement that dominates SDF-held areas.
Damascus, however, has offered only limited administrative decentralisation for Kurdish-majority regions, fearing that granting more autonomy could encourage other minority groups to make similar demands and threaten Syria’s unity.
Muslim previously stressed that Kurds, who form roughly 10 percent of Syria’s population, should be "partners in every aspect of Syria’s future, whether in the constitution, elections, government, or economy".
Wednesday’s deadly incident comes amid rising tensions between Syrian army forces and the SDF in northern and northeastern Syria.
Two weeks ago, The New Arab’s sister site Al-Araby al-Jadeed reported that the Kurdish-dominated group had begun reinforcing positions along the frontlines with the Syrian army in Aleppo, Deir Az-Zour, and Raqqa provinces, while also expanding tunnel-digging operations - including under hospitals and schools in SDF-controlled Hassakeh and Raqqa provinces.
Observers considered this a clear sign that the SDF is not abiding by the March agreement signed between Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi, which required both sides to halt escalations.
On Saturday, the SDF-affiliated Democratic Autonomous Administration of Northeastern Syria (DAANES) demanded "international guarantees for any agreement with Damascus, particularly from Washington, Paris, and Riyadh", ccording to media outlets affiliated with it.
Weaker government position
The Syrian government’s position has been weakened by violence in areas inhabited by minority communities, such as Druze-majority Suweida province and the Alawite-majority coastal region, where massacres have taken place.
Fighting in both these areas last July and last March, respectively, saw government-affiliated forces commit sectarian killings against civilians, raising doubts about the government's declared commitment to a multi-ethnic and multi-confessional Syria.
Signs of the breakdown of the integration agreement go further than the military and political fronts. DAANES recently banned the teaching of the Syrian government’s school curriculum in areas under its control.
It has also made moves to take control of the government-run Al-Furat University based in northeast Syria and replace it with its own unrecognised “Rojava University”.
On the economic front, SDF commander Mazloum Abdi met with investors last Sunday to discuss launching projects in these areas - an indication that the movement wants its region to be economically autonomous of Damascus.
It comes after major Arab investments, most recently from the UAE, came to areas run by the Syrian government.
Damascus is now working to weaken the SDF’s position by engaging with the Kurdish National Council (KNC), the main rival of the PYD.
Sources in Qamishli told al-Araby al-Jadeed that a KNC delegation is set to visit Damascus soon "at the government’s request" to meet President Ahmad al-Sharaa.
In June, the KNC formed a joint negotiating team with the PYD to discuss Kurdish rights with Damascus, but their sharp differences make joint action unlikely.