Ali Darwish | Halim Muhammad

Bound and sitting in a manner unbecoming of a man in his fifties, and far from the customs and traditions of the tribal regions of Horan and al-Lajat, where respect for elders is paramount, Ahmad al-Hariri appeared sitting on the harsh, basaltic rocky ground of the al-Lajat region, his head bowed, lost in thought about the crime he committed that led to his kidnapping by a masked armed group that did not respect his age.

The kidnappers justified their action as a response to the kidnapping of one of the al-Lajat Bedouins in the town of Ibta, north of Daraa, by an armed group led by Abu al-Baraa Qutaifan (Naeem Qutaifan), nicknamed “Hanish,” demanding the release of the kidnapped person.

Rami Mafallani (17 years old) and Abdullah al-Zoubi (19 years old) were also kidnapped last February and were beaten and tortured by their captors, who sent video recordings of the torture and pleas from the kidnapped to their families to hasten their release.

Kidnapping incidents have recurred in Daraa over the past years, either for ransom or due to disputes between armed groups. Retaliatory kidnappings became a principal means to secure the release of hostages, along with threats of military escalation.

This method was followed by local factions to pressure the kidnappers, in tandem with the movements of the elders, successfully securing the release of Rami and Abdullah, in addition to Ahmad al-Hariri and others.

Retaliatory kidnapping as a pressure tool

Knowing the kidnappers’ group or the area they belong to plays a role in pressuring for the release of the kidnapped, whether by the elders’ movements or the kidnapped relatives engaging in retaliatory kidnapping of civilians from the kidnappers’ area who have nothing to do with the situation, which increases community pressure on the kidnappers.

Some kidnappings included children, most notably the child Fawaz Qutaifan, who was released in February 2022 after a ransom of $140,000 was paid. He had been held captive for three months.

Meanwhile, the child Salam al-Khalaf (10 years old) has been missing since 2020, despite rewards offered for any information about her.

Omar al-Hariri, a member of the Martyrs Documentation Office in Daraa, told Enab Baladi that the primary motive for kidnapping is economic need. The economic situation, high cost of living, unemployment, and drug prevalence drive gangs to resort to easy solutions like kidnapping for ransom.

What enhances kidnapping operations, according to al-Hariri, is the absence of punishment and security authorities that pursue criminals.

Disavowing the kidnappers

The elders’ movements in various areas of Daraa accelerate with every kidnapping, playing a primary role in pressuring the kidnappers. The elders also disown the kidnapping groups, as these groups are from the province and belong to tribes.

Enab Baladi contacted two prominent figures from Daraa’s elders to inquire about their handling of kidnapping groups, even if they are from the same area or tribe. They confirmed that the kidnappers do not represent the Bedouin tribes or Horan but represent themselves. The community must expose them and not give them tribal or regional cover.

They indicated that kidnapping gangs exist in the al-Lajat area between the provinces of Daraa and As-Suwayda, coordinating among themselves, and society must reject this phenomenon without bias or zeal, and not defend the kidnappers.

These gangs do not comply with any opinion, according to the elders who spoke with Enab Baladi. If pressured, they might say, “We are at your service,” but the gangs have significant leaders who do not respond and need to be terrorized and arrested, and if possible, rehabilitated.

Members of these gangs participate in drug trading, usage, and promotion, so they always need money and cannot work like the rest of the population, resorting to kidnappings and robberies, according to the elders.

Omar al-Hariri, a member of Daraa’s Martyrs Documentation Office, said that disowning or disavowing the kidnappers exists in Daraa and al-Lajat, but rational solutions and entities solving these incidents are few and have limited roles.

Matters often proceed “in the worst way,” according to al-Hariri, from kidnapping to retaliatory kidnapping, then the situation turns into “you have bad people, and we have bad people.”

A threat to civil peace

Kidnapping and retaliatory kidnapping are in the fourth stage of the five stages of conflicts between societies, which is the “pre-explosion stage,” according to sociology professor Safwan Qassam.

Qassam told Enab Baladi that kidnapping and retaliatory kidnapping could be a pathway to reaching an explosion between societies, so this indicator for those working on community peace points to an approaching “explosion stage,” and the issue must be addressed.

Conversely, kidnappers always justify their actions as retaliating to an act.

Naturally, according to social researcher Dr. Talal Mustafa, kidnapping operations destabilize or intensify tension and mutual accusations between different areas, increasing the division between local residents and between residents and factions.

Dr. Mustafa explained to Enab Baladi that the spread of kidnappings undermines the sense of security, pushing people to either rely on tribal or regional protection or turn to security agencies.

Some kidnapping incidents lead to retaliatory reactions, initiating a cycle of violence between different regions. Continued kidnapping disrupts social life and limits people’s movement and interaction, thereby “further fragmenting the social and economic fabric of Daraa in general,” according to Dr. Talal Mustafa.

The researcher pointed out that these challenges can be faced by enhancing dialogue between community components in Daraa, addressing the causes, and thwarting the regime’s exploitation of these operations, creating temporary local solutions, and establishing coordination mechanisms between tribes until reaching a state with institutions, eventually transcending pre-state components like family and tribal affiliations.

Currently, “we need dialogue and transparency, and family and tribal councils to cooperate and find alternatives to the regime’s institutions,” according to Dr. Mustafa, in addition to awareness seminars by civil society organizations aiming to educate the community about the dangers of kidnapping and the risks of covering for kidnappers, and encouraging people to take stands against them.

Psychological impact on the kidnapped

The duration of captivity ranges from days to several months until the kidnapped are released, either by ransom or through retaliatory kidnapping. During this period, the kidnapped are subject to physical torture and psychological pressure, especially if imprisoned in isolated places, some being in farms, caves, or caverns as per the nature of the detention sites.

This leads to negative psychological effects on the kidnapped, “not only affecting them but also impacting their families and surrounding social circles, influencing the kidnapped’s social and professional relationships, and social balance,” according to Dr. Safwan Qassam.

The kidnapped individual will feel a lack of self-confidence primarily and in their surroundings secondarily, which can impact their relationships with peers, especially if the kidnapped is a child, while the family may develop fears for this child.

Also, the kidnapped may exhibit a reverse or violent reaction against society.

Dr. Talal Mustafa said that the effects on the kidnapped could somewhat resemble the effects on a detainee, causing a feeling of insecurity, injustice, and a sense of weakness and fragility.

On a personal level, the kidnapped’s psychological structure may be affected, experiencing nightmares or insomnia, or depression. Kidnapping can cause psychological and personality disorders, increased anxiety and fear, and a lack of security even after the kidnapping ends, with fear of being kidnapped again.

Socially, kidnapping might lead to isolation, fear of social interaction, mood swings, and difficulty establishing personal and social relationships, in addition to physical symptoms like headaches and digestive disorders of psychological origin.

To address these effects, civil society organizations should provide psychological and social support to the kidnapped, including psychological treatment and rehabilitation, according to Dr. Talal Mustafa.