The Autonomous-Administration, which is the political umbrella of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), held a meeting with tribal elders from the Deir-ez-Zor governorate. The meeting followed protests by people in the region demanding the release of detainees and improving the living and service situation there.
According to a video posted by the Network Al-Sharqiya Correspondent via Telegram, one of the elders of Deir-ez-Zor threatened representatives of the Deir-ez-Zor Civil Council by saying that he won’t allow the entry of his institutions into the area if they did not replace Arab representatives with Kurdish officials from the region.
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He also called for a solution to SDF’s arrests in the countryside of Deir-ez-Zor, under the pretext of pursuing ISIS cells and keeping them in prison for several months.
The video showed one of the region’s elders repeating that representatives of the administration and its “civil” council in Deir-ez-Zor were prevented from entering their offices until their demands for strengthening the Arab entity of the region’s political and economic management were met.
Areas known as al-Shaitat, east of Deir-ez-Zor, have been witnessing protests since the beginning of March. The protests complained about the deteriorating living situation, other demonstrations called for the distribution of fuel to the residents of the area, and others denounced the corruption of SDF institutions and the release of detainees.
On March 1st, a member of the Internal Security Forces (Asayish) was killed after a fight between him and a group of demonstrators from the village of Abu Hamam, east of Deir-ez-Zor. The incident followed Asayish’s attempts to disperse an anti-SDF demonstration in the village.
This was preceded by clashes in the eastern city of al-Busaira on February 14th, between tribal members of the region and fighters from SDF, in connection with the arrest of young men from the Ghadban and al-Jamil clans.
SDF has always carried out security operations in the eastern countryside of Deir-ez-Zor, which is witnessing a proliferation of ISIS cells. However, SDF’s arrests often target civilians, many of whom are later released.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
