DARAA, Syria (North Press) – The governorate of Daraa, south Syria, again emerged as “anti-Syrian regime” ten years after the outbreak of protests in Syria, politicians and activists of the governorate said.
The city of Daraa played an important role by the start of the 2011 where people took to streets on the outskirts of al-Omari mosque in Daraa al-Balad at the time.
In 2018, the government forces began a broad-scale Russian-brokered settlement process in the governorate.
In summer 2021, Daraa has been subjected to a stifling siege by the Syrian government forces and Iranian-backed factions for more than two months.
The siege ended reaching a ceasefire agreement between the parties of the conflict brokered by Russia and the entry of the government forces to the besieged neighborhoods.
In September, the second settlement process started and lasted for two months, in Daraa al-Balad, the western countryside of Daraa, the northern countryside, the eastern countryside and ended in the city center.
In November 2021, a civilian governor who does not belong to the government forces has been appointed, for the first time since 2011, following the former ones who were government officers.
During 2021, the Daraa governorate again was oppositionist through stances that rejected the pro forma presidential election, the journalist, Husam al-Berm, said.
The governorate was forced to accept the second settlement agreement after settlement of 2018 under Russian auspice because the government considered that the weak participation in the elections is a disobeying in addition to the government policy in tightening screw on it, he told North Press.
In May, the government issued orders and circulations for school and institutions in Daraa to hold promo events for elections, but reality was different, according to teachers of the eastern countryside of Daraa.
Only cities such as Daraa, Izra and Sanamayn, which have been kept under the government control, participated in the presidential elections.
Residents managed to deliver a message to the international community that “the regime cannot run the governorate despite the first settlement and Russian and Iranian support,” the journalist added.
The major aim of the second settlement is to withdraw the light weapons after they have withdrawn the heavy and medium ones during the first settlement.
The insecurity condition the region is witnessing after arm withdrawal indicates that those who carry out assassinations are collaborating with government forces and bear weapons under their permit, according to al-Berm.
He mentioned different loyalties of government security branches, “some are affiliated with the Lebanese Hezbollah, which uses Daraa as a route for smuggling drugs into neighboring countries, and some others are affiliated with Iran which complicates the Russian task in settling the region.”
Among the major events that Daraa witnessed during the last year were the siege imposed by the government military organs for three months and the assassinations that claimed lives of many innocent people, member of the Syrian Negotiation Commission (SNC), Hassan al-Hariri, told North Press.
Russia works to reduce the military role in Daraa since it is the party that has supervised the settlements and reconciliation processes, but it is always interrupted by the Iranian project in the region, according to al-Hariri.
Al-Hariri believes that opening an embassy in Daraa, two months ago, by the regime government is an attempt to facilitate restrictions on immigration, “with the aim of evacuating the governorate of its young men in case of any potential international scenario”.