Ali Darwish | Halim Muhammad

The intensity of kidnapping and counter-kidnapping operations among the people of the Hauran Plain and Jabal al-Arab in the southern Syrian provinces of Daraa and As-Suwayda has decreased over the past two years, following years of negative impact on both communities, which at one point led to armed clashes resulting in fatalities and injuries.

Initiatives launched by the people of both provinces, including civil activists, journalists, organizations, and local forces, played a crucial role in clarifying the importance of the relationship between these neighboring provinces in southern Syria. They also contributed to reducing tensions fueled by parties interested in creating animosity between these culturally and economically close communities.

Recently, there has been a gradual return of trade exchanges, with a livestock market established in Busra al-Sham that welcomes traders from As-Suwayda. Additionally, certain types of fruits such as apples and grapes, which originate from As-Suwayda, have returned to Daraa’s markets.

The elders and community peace initiatives played a pivotal role in curbing the phenomenon of kidnapping, especially in the absence of the regime’s security institutions to control it. In fact, security branches have been accused of being behind these operations to escalate tensions between the Hauran Plain (Daraa) and Jabal al-Arab (As-Suwayda).

The regime’s security and military institutions have not left As-Suwayda since the start of the Syrian revolution in March 2011, but their role has diminished with the emergence of local military factions supported by religious leadership, most notably the Men of Dignity Movement.

As for Daraa, the regime regained control over it in July and August 2018 as part of a settlement agreement, but it has not established actual control, and the area continues to witness kidnappings and assassinations targeting various parties.

What the initiatives entailed

According to sources that participated in or organized these initiatives, community peace initiatives included several key components, such as meetings among elders aimed at re-establishing relations and resolving outstanding issues between the two provinces. One prominent meeting took place in the village of Bard in As-Suwayda in late 2020, attended by elders from various regions within Daraa and As-Suwayda.

In April 2020, elders from both provinces convened and issued a “good neighboring” statement, noting that “sedition serves no one and its dark consequences will linger on both sides for a long time.”

They described those who engage in kidnapping activities as “rogue gangs” that do not represent the plain or the mountain region, while positive movements continue through mutual visits by activists from both provinces.

The initiatives also included intervention during kidnapping incidents, where typically, elders from both communities intervene to negotiate and resolve issues without escalating to mutual kidnappings.

Another focus in recent years has been on media, through a coalition of media platforms issuing charters and a series of common materials, working under a unified hashtag and identity.

For instance, the Baladi organization worked on gathering a group of media institutions and civil society organizations in projects, notably the “Media Dialogue in Southern Syria” project, which led to the drafting of a media code of ethics to be issued in the upcoming year.

There is also the “Empowerment/Tamkeen” project, which does not only target institutions in southern Syria, according to a civil activist from As-Suwayda, but also includes northeastern and northwestern Syria. This project has worked on fostering relationships between media institutions operating within Syria and local community organizations to form alliances that counter hate speech and support ethical journalism.

What unites is more than what divides

Shadi al-Ali, the editor-in-chief of the local website Daraa 24, stated to Enab Baladi that the communities of Daraa and As-Suwayda share many commonalities; however, this did not prevent occasional tensions, especially regarding kidnapping incidents.

Community peace initiatives have contributed to reducing the tensions that arose from time to time, especially those that occurred at the administrative border between the two provinces. These initiatives have helped improve relationships and strengthen trust between the communities, successfully avoiding renewed clashes afterward.

Furthermore, the intervention of the elders during kidnapping operations has had a direct impact in preventing violence from escalating, according to al-Ali, as they played a crucial role in diffusing situations without armed confrontations.

A civil activist from As-Suwayda who participated in these initiatives expressed, “We are certain that these movements have played a significant role in diffusing tensions between the two neighboring areas on multiple occasions.”

One of the most important initiatives, according to the activist’s statement to Enab Baladi, occurred when the regime’s media tried to exploit the incident of the detention of Raji Falhout and his faction, which is affiliated with the Military Security, of a group of residents from Daraa and the Bedouins of the Lajat region. They published a video showing their restraint and humiliation, attempting to portray the situation as an act by the people of As-Suwayda against the residents of Daraa.

Following this incident, independent media institutions in both provinces, along with activists and wise figures, quickly mobilized to quell the sedition and reveal the truth that the operation was orchestrated by the Military Security and its associates in As-Suwayda.

Raji Falhout’s group is one of the local factions in As-Suwayda that follows the Military Security and faces accusations of involvement in killings, kidnappings, and drug trafficking on behalf of the Syrian regime in the southern region.

In July 2022, local factions from As-Suwayda, led by the Men of Dignity Movement, ended Falhout’s group, known as the Dawn Forces, after battles lasting several hours.

The role of militarization

One elder from the eastern countryside of Daraa told Enab Baladi that mutual efforts from both sides contributed, albeit minimally, to denouncing the phenomenon of kidnapping by not covering up for the gangs involved. These efforts have helped gradually restore normalcy to life in the region.

The majority of the responsibility, according to the source, lies with the factions both in Daraa and As-Suwayda since the gangs fear strength more than they respect the tribes and their chiefs. However, the elders have sought to bring viewpoints closer and mobilize these factions to combat these gangs.

Meanwhile, a leader residing in the Daraa countryside believes that the decline in kidnapping operations is attributed to counter-kidnapping. This has compelled the elders and factions to take action out of concern for civil peace between the two provinces.

According to the leader, the kidnappings, as reported to Enab Baladi, are carried out by gangs in both provinces, most of which are interconnected and demand ransoms reaching tens of thousands of dollars.

Focusing on common ground

The editor-in-chief of Daraa 24 explained that the initiatives primarily focused on enhancing historical and social ties between Daraa and As-Suwayda and emphasizing the interconnectedness between the two neighbors. They also underscored the principle of cohabitation, rejecting the incitement of tensions and the destabilization of relations between the plain and the mountain.

Furthermore, they aimed to bridge divides and address previous incidents, such as the clashes that occurred in 2020, which resulted in casualties and injuries, and intervene in resolving recurring crises during kidnapping cases, including counter-kidnappings to prevent escalation and an increase in violence and abduction incidents.

According to Rawad Ballan, a civil society activist from As-Suwayda, civil society organizations have played a positive role in avoiding the demonization of community components in both Daraa and As-Suwayda by isolating these gangs from their communal environment and criminalizing their actions without generalizing this phenomenon to the entire community.

One of the most significant community initiatives involved the reception of thousands of displaced individuals from Daraa by residents of As-Suwayda, deepening relationships between the two neighboring areas and fostering communal friendships that culminated in increased brotherhood between both sides.

Ballan remarked to Enab Baladi that civil society had the most significant impact in rejecting the purchase of “looted” materials (furniture stolen from homes after the regime’s control) from Daraa during the regime’s assault on the province in 2018, when civil society organizations demanded that the public prosecutor criminalize the trade of these stolen items.

There was also a civil society initiative that resulted in the issuance of a code of conduct disseminated to activists and media platforms in As-Suwayda, calling for the renunciation of hate speech and promoting civil and community peace, as well as physical communication between representatives from both provinces.

Noticeable improvement in relations

Since the beginning of the current year, there has been a gradual return to normal relations, according to an elder from the eastern countryside of Daraa, with traders from Daraa and university students visiting As-Suwayda, along with trade exchanges between the two provinces.

On the other hand, political activist Suleiman al-Khafiri pointed out that the instances of kidnapping between Daraa and As-Suwayda have decreased somewhat, but the community relationship has not yet returned to its usual state. Nonetheless, the efforts made have yielded the best outcome that has preserved civil peace relatively and improved relations between the two neighbors, preventing sedition.

In February, delegations from As-Suwayda visited the town of Nahteh to congratulate the liberation of the kidnapped young man Rami al-Mafalani. Elders from Daraa viewed this visit as a positive step towards restoring relations between the two provinces.

One elder from the eastern countryside of Daraa stated to Enab Baladi that this visit had a positive resonance, fostering brotherhood and strengthening ties between both sides.

Additionally, he noted that delegations from As-Suwayda had contacted him via social media, expressing solidarity against kidnapping operations, while fighters from Daraa secured the delegations’ movement across the administrative borders of As-Suwayda for their arrival and departure.

He added that a delegation from Daraa participated in a visit to As-Suwayda and met with Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri to discuss a long-standing issue between the two provinces.

Meanwhile, activists from As-Suwayda believe that the decrease in kidnapping operations is due to the elimination of Raji Falhout’s group affiliated with the regime’s Military Security.