In Syria's Daraa Governorate, conflict persists despite Assad's renewed postwar control

• Published date: 10 April 2024
• Author: DEBBIE MOHNBLATT/THE MEDIA LINE
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

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The Daraa Governorate is in southwest Syria, bordering Jordan to the south and Israel to the west. It is also the birthplace of the 2011 uprising against President Assad, which later led to the beginning of the civil war that devastated the country. The province was returned to Assad's control in 2018 under a Russian-backed cease-fire agreement. However, Daraa has seen unrest ever since.

"This incident underscores the ongoing security chaos in Daraa, the most significant since the Syrian government forces regained control of the area in 2018," Haian Dukhan, a lecturer in politics and international relations at Teesside University, told The Media Line.

He explained that the groups involved in the clashes are led by individuals with past affiliations to notable entities. One group is led by Mohsen Al-Haymid, previously associated with ISIS and now reportedly working for the Damascus government's military intelligence. The opposing group is led by Ahmad Jamal Al-Labbad, known as "Al-Shabt," who formerly worked for the State Security branch, he noted.

According to Dukhan, the situation in Daraa is "emblematic of the broader challenges facing Syria, where localized conflicts, driven by a mix of historical grievances, economic conditions, and political aspirations, persist despite the central government's efforts to assert control."

Among the clashing militias, the presence of figures with past affiliations to ISIS and state security forces underscores the complex web of allegiances that define the Syrian conflict landscape, Dukhan noted.

"This complexity, coupled with the tragic impact on civilians, highlights the enduring human cost of the conflict and the difficult path toward lasting peace in the region," he continued.

Ongoing unrest

The ongoing unrest in Daraa can be attributed to two main reasons, according to Hadi (not his real name), a Syrian humanitarian worker.

The first reason, he told The Media Line, is that the Syrian government might be trying to weaken the opposition to exert full control of the Daraa Governorate. The second, he continued, has to do with drug traffic flowing from Syria into Jordan. "The active role of drug dealers concentrated in the area that has a border with Jordan is one of the...