Syria Announces Detailed Ceasefire and Integration Deal with SDF
Syria and the SDF signed a 14-point integration deal for a ceasefire, military merger, and state control of oil and territory, while ensuring Kurdish rights and the removal of non-Syrian elements.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Syria has formally signed a detailed agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), marking a significant step in implementing a nationwide ceasefire and integrating SDF-controlled territories and personnel into the state apparatus. President Ahmed Sharaa simultaneously called on Arab tribes in eastern Syria to remain calm and allow the implementation of the deal, while a scheduled meeting with SDF commander Mazloum Abdi was postponed due to adverse weather conditions.
The agreement establishes a comprehensive framework for ceasefire, territorial control, institutional and personnel integration, and civilian return, with Sharaa’s call for calm aiming to ensure smooth implementation across eastern Syria.
The Ceasefire and Full Integration Agreement:
First: An immediate and comprehensive ceasefire across all fronts and contact lines between the Syrian Government forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) along the withdrawal of all SDF military formations to the east of the Euphrates River as a preliminary step for redeployment.
Second: The full and immediate administrative and military handover of Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa governorates to the Syrian Government. This includes the transfer of all civil institutions and facilities, with the immediate issuance of decrees to permanentize current employees within the specialized ministries of the Syrian state.
Third: Integrating all civilian institutions in al-Hasakah Governorate into the institutions of the Syrian state and its administrative structures.
Fourth: The Syrian Government shall take control of all border crossings, oil fields, and gas fields in the region, with protection secured by regular forces to ensure the return of resources to the Syrian state, while considering the special case of Kurdish areas.
Fifth: The full integration of all SDF military and security personnel into the structures of the Syrian Ministries of Defense and Interior on an “individual” basis following necessary security vetting, granting them military ranks, financial entitlements, and logistical requirements accordingly.
Sixth: The leadership of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commits to refraining from incorporating remnants of the former regime into its ranks, and to providing lists of officers from the former regime’s remnants present in areas of northeastern Syria.
Seventh: The issuance of a presidential decree appointing a nominee to assume the position of Governor of al-Hasakah, as a guarantee of political participation and local representation.
Eighth: The removal of heavy military presence from the city of Ain al-Arab (Kobani), the formation of a security force drawn from the city’s residents, and the retention of a local police force that is administratively affiliated with the Syrian Ministry of Interior.
Ninth: The integration of the administration responsible for the file of ISIS prisoners and camps, as well as the forces responsible for securing these facilities, with the Syrian government, so that the Syrian government assumes full legal and security responsibility for them.
Tenth: The adoption of a list of candidates submitted by the SDF leadership to hold high-ranking military, security, and civil positions within the central state structure to ensure national partnership.
Eleventh: Welcoming Presidential Decree No. 13 of 2026, which provides for the recognition of Kurdish cultural and linguistic rights and for addressing outstanding rights-based and civil issues—including those of unregistered/stateless persons and accumulated property-rights claims from previous decades.
Twelfth: The SDF commits to the removal of all non-Syrian Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leaders and members outside the borders of the Syrian Arab Republic to ensure sovereignty and regional stability.
Thirteenth: The Syrian state commits to continuing the fight against terrorism (ISIS) as an active member of the International Coalition, in coordination with the United States, to ensure the security and stability of the region.
Fourteenth: Working toward understandings concerning the safe and dignified return of the residents of the Afrin and Sheikh Maqsoud areas to their homes.
The agreement establishes a comprehensive framework for ceasefire, territorial control, institutional and personnel integration, and civilian return, with Al-Sharaa’s call for calm aiming to ensure smooth implementation across eastern Syria.
Updated on Jan. 18, 2025, at 7:18 pm.