Anxiety, anger, and hope in Syria’s Damascus after SDF ceasefire

Anxiety, anger, and hope in Syria’s Damascus after SDF ceasefire

Damascus, Syria – On January 18 when a ceasefire was declared between the Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) was announced, Damascus breathed a sigh of relief. Syrians gathered in Umayyad Square to dance in joy as fireworks lit up the sky, car horns blared, and fireworks blared.

The country’s intention was to end the conflict that had erupted in northern Syria over the past few weeks and to end one of the biggest conflicts that had remained irrationally with it in the year following the ouster of former president Bashar al-Assad.

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Saria Shammiri, a resident of Damascus, praised the sentiment, which “is beautiful and I am certain it exists in every Syrian.” “We wish for all of Syria to be united,” she said.

However, the occasion was brief.

The next morning, SDF leader Mazloum Abdi was forced to accept less favorable terms, including a new ceasefire, a new ceasefire, and a four-day ultimatum for the SDF to fully reintegrate into state structures.

Anger toward the SDF

After 15 years of division, frustration toward the Kurdish-led forces has waned as the deadline approaches.

They are not Kurdish, according to the terrorist SDF, and they don’t belong in this land. They are occupying, according to Syrian Kurdist Maamoun Ramadan, a 75-year-old Syrian resident in Damascus.

The SDF is no longer seen by many as a force fighting ISIL (ISIS) at the height of Syria’s war but as an actor supporting a parallel authority supported by foreign powers, such as the United States, keeping large portions of the nation out of the reach of the central government.

The language is becoming more succinct in cafes, taxis, and government buildings. The SDF is accused of preventing reunification, monopolizing northeast oil and agricultural resources, and hiding behind US support while the rest of the nation endured sanctions, war, and collapse. Many Syrians now understand that the standoff can only ever come to an end through submission or force, which is further reinforced by the renewed fighting. However, many people still support a peaceful resolution.

The solution can be found at the negotiation table, according to butcher Sheikhmos Ramzi, who said, “dialogue is the foundation of peace.” Violence only results in more violence.

anxious to wait

An additional tinge of anxiety exists underneath. Few people in Damascus are blind to the risks, despite the common interest of reunifying territory. Regional actors may be drawn in by a protracted conflict, troubled border regions, or rekindled regional tensions, which have become a source of tension for Kurds and Arab tribal communities.

Some residents express doubts in private about what integration will actually mean on the ground. SDF fighters may be absorbed into national forces, marginalized, or tried for a crime. Local government structures won’t be destroyed overnight? And can a stretched central state, which has endured years of conflict and economic crisis, actually control and stabilize territory that it hasn’t controlled for more than ten years?

However, impatience, the main emotion at the moment, is largely the answer to those questions. Not as a final solution, the ceasefire was applauded as a step toward what many people here believe was a long-overdue resolution. The government’s advances are meant to reinvigorate existing relationships, not to start a new conflict.

Source: Aljazeera

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