SNA faction imposes royalties on olive farmers in Afrin
AFRIN, Syria (North Press) – A local source in Afrin revealed on Monday that the Turkey-backed Sultan Suleiman Shah of the Syrian National Army (SNA), also known as al-Amshat, has started imposing royalties in USD on olive farmers in Afrin, northwest Syria.
In August 2023, the US Department of Treasury imposed sanctions on leaders within the al-Amshat and Hamza factions over human rights violations in Afrin.
Residents in Afrin told North Press that the faction began conducting patrols in the villages of Sheikh Hadid District, northwest of the city of Afrin, in order to collect royalties from olive farmers before the harvest starts.
“Al-Amshat imposed royalties of $3 per olive tree, which is half of the amount charged in the previous year. The faction has also demanded a 10 percent share on olive oil factories in the area to the faction,” the residents stated.
On September 20, Human Rights Organization-Afrin posted on its Facebook page that al-Amshat held a meeting with residents of Sheikh Hadid in early October and informed them that royalties of $9 would be imposed on each olive tree in the upcoming harvest.
The source pointed out that imposing such royalties on farmers and olive oil factories in the area will increase the suffering of farmers there who are already struggling with hard living conditions.