Syria Monthly Report

Summary

Syria, with help from Saudi diplomatic efforts, and the support of Jordan and other regional actors, was been readmitted into the Arab League on 7 May. Despite the landmark moment, regional and Western states remain opposed to normalization with the Syrian government.

Assassinations of individuals involved in illicit narcotics activities increased throughout the month. The spike could be the result of community vigilantism against narcotics networks in their communities, increased competition between traders, or simply general instability. In parallel, Damascus’ attempts at curbing drug trafficking have yielded limited results. A frustrated Jordanian government allegedly launched two airstrikes, in unprecedented military action inside Syria, targeting drug dealers and warehouses.

The Syrian government is accused of trying to obscure the Palestinian identity and origins of Yarmouk camp, by renaming it Yarmouk street and removing flags and banners of Palestinians. The return of Palestinian refugees to the camp post-reconstruction has been marred with difficulties.

In northeast Syria, media outlets and local sources reported a notable increase in clashes between tribes in Ar-Raqqa and Deir-ez-Zor. The role of social media to instigate and exacerbate the disputes is new, as local tribal leaders in Thiban called on internet providers in the region to block platforms such as Facebook and Kwai (a short video app, similar to TikTok) on 8 April. Despite the Autonomous Administration and the SDF introducing some conflict resolution mechanisms in order to resolve these issues, the mechanisms in place mostly focus on temporary solutions rather than resolving the root cause of tribal disputes.

Throughout Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, meat, chicken, sugar, and vegetable prices in the northeast increased, attributed to low supply, trader hoarding, and higher livestock prices. The Administration introduced price ceilings and penalties – these mechanisms were limited in effectiveness, largely due to the lack of enforcement.

Access to clean, potable water in northeast Syria is increasingly difficult. Throughout the governorates – Deir-ez-Zor, Ar-Raqqa and Al-Hasakeh – challenges include low Euphrates river levels, pollution, poor infrastructure, and regular cuts in service upstream in Turkey. Poor access has had negative impacts on health – where an increase in water-borne diseases was reported in Ar-Raqqa – and agriculture as the farmer’s continue their reliance on groundwater extraction through unofficial well drilling.

In northwest Syria, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched a number of small-scale acts of aggression against Faylaq al-Sham, justifying them as responses to community complaints against the Syrian National Army (SNA)-affiliated faction. Amid ongoing talks of a Syrian–Turkish rapprochement, HTS looks to be acting strategically to secure its position in negotiations.