It’s hot in Deir Ezzor. This province located in eastern Syria has been the scene of clashes for more than a week between forces dominated by Kurds, supported by Washington, and local Arab fighters, which threatens the balance of the sector.
On August 27, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrested Ahmad al-Khabil, the head of the Military Council of Deir Ezzor, a local armed Arab group affiliated with the SDF, accusing him of embezzlement, drug trafficking and collusion with the system of government. His supporters then launched attacks against the FDS and the clashes left 71 dead, according to a latest report from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH).
The tension worsened after pro-regime fighters crossed the Euphrates towards combat zones, according to the OSDH. The SDF introduced a 48-hour curfew on Saturday, accusing “mercenaries linked to the regime” of wanting to “sow discord” between them and the Arab tribes. On Monday, they were trying to regain full control of a last locality plagued by fighting.
Real tension between Kurds and Arab fighters, or simple propaganda?
Two US mediators met with SDF officials and tribal leaders on Sunday. Some have attempted to portray the clashes as a conflict between Kurdish forces and Arab tribes. But the FDS have assured that they have no dispute with these tribes, many of whom have helped them in their fight against IS.
At the same time, “this region is a powder keg”, he adds, warning that “if the fighting spreads and poisons Arab-Kurdish relations, there is no shortage of actors who would like to fuel the conflict”. He explains that “Turkey, the Syrian government, and IS all have an interest in undermining the current order” and currying favor with Arab tribes.
Turkey, which is deploying troops in northern Syria, considers Kurdish forces to be “terrorists”, and Bashar al-Assad is opposed to the autonomous administration established by the Kurds in their regions and their alliance with Washington. The regime’s media refer to fighting between the SDF and “the forces of the Arab tribes”. But Omar Abou Layla, who runs the news site DeirEzzor24, assures us that there “does not exist unified Arab tribal forces”. “If the Arab tribes had really ganged up on the SDF, they wouldn’t be in Deir Ezzor today. »