The Military and Civil Administration (MCA) of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Manbij city, east of Aleppo, decided to form two committees, one consisting of Manbij’s dignitaries, tribal sheiks and victims’ families, and the second “neutral.” The committees discussed the escalation the city witnessed during anti-draft protests, the killing of eight protestors, and the injury of several others, as well as the best way to amend the situation.
The MCA on Monday, 5 July, made a statement explaining the work done by the two committees. Building on the committees’ work, the MCA pledged to pay 30 million Syrian pounds (SYP) as blood money to the families of each of the eight persons killed during the protests.
The MCA also said they will pay the tribal committee 225 million SYP to distribute to families of the victims as a “gift.”
The committee members also agreed to form a medical authority to monitor the individual cases of the wounded, to evaluate their health status, and file a report, which is to help define the amount of compensation the MCA to pay them.
In the statement, the MCA stressed that action will be immediate and in line with a specific schedule, adding that they will not neglect the legitimate demands of the citizens or holding accountable offenders. The MCA highlighted they will not tolerate or accept any interference from outside Syria because the people of Manbij are capable of preserving the safety and the stability of their area independently.
The MCA, in a statement made on 2 June, decided to suspend the compulsory conscription law, called Duty of Self Defense, in Manbij city, referring its text to concerned bodies to study and discuss its provisions. The law was rendered inactive in the aftermath of the anti-draft protests during which eight protestors were shot dead and many others injured, according to the Euphrates Post, a local news network.
By the Duty of Self Defense Law, the SDF forced 18 to 30 years old males to join their forces, across the regions they hold. The SDF operates in the majority of al-Hasakah governorate, large parts of Raqqa and Dir ez-Zor, the two cities of Kobanî (Ayn al-Arab) and Manbij, east of Aleppo.
To ensure that target males will uphold the conscription law, the SDF set up checkpoints across their control areas, in a measure that resembled the Syrian regime’s efforts to forcibly enlist young men into their forces.