QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Young men are the primary target of the settlement processes carried out by Syrian government forces since they took control of Daraa Governorate, southern Syria, in 2018. Even those who were children at the time are now forced to undergo settlement procedures to postpone their arrest and be conscripted into mandatory service.
In July 2018, the opposition armed factions and Syrian the government forces reached a ceasefire agreement mediated by Russia in the opposition-held areas in Daraa. Under the deal, the opposition armed factions agreed to hand over their weapons in exchange for staying in Daraa, and those who opposed the agreement they were sent to Idlib, which is under the control of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS – formerly al-Nusra Front).
The situation has increased the number of young people leaving the governorate, who are working to get their families out, as they realize that there is no hope for a return in the near future.
Settlement and youth immigration
Osama al-Meqdad, an activist, told North Press that the reason for the large number of settlements is “the promotion by the Syrian regime that this settlement will give its holder a six-month deferral of mandatory service.”
Daraa has thousands of people who have defected from the government forces, which has increased the number of people joining the settlements, he added.
Al-Meqdad stressed that “the Syrian regime has no credibility in anything since the outbreak of the revolution, such as ceasefires, agreements, and settlements that it carries out without adhering to it.”
On May 16, the government forces started a new process of settlement in Daraa for the wanted people who are forced to surrender to the government’s security apparatuses to have their status settled. Otherwise, they must leave their hometown.
This is the fifth settlement imposed on the people of Daraa by the government. The last one was on April 20, 2022, and the first and the biggest one was in September 2018.
“The regime’s indirect goal from these settlements is to empty the area of young people, and due to the poor economic and security conditions, young people have begun looking for any opportunity to leave the country,” he pointed out.
With this settlement, which includes a deferral of mandatory and reserve service, “all young people will apply for passports to leave the country,” according to al-Meqdad.
Fate of those subject to settlement
Brigadier General Abdullah al-Assa’d, director of the Monitoring Center for Strategic Studies, told North Press that the fate of young people in settlement areas is “certain death.”
Those who undergo settlement “are transferred to al-Asfar area east of Suwayda Governorate, southern Syria, and placed at the forefront of the fight against the Islamic State group (ISIS), which has now become a gathering of Iranian, Iraqi, Lebanese, and Afghan militias,” al-Assa’d added.
He also pointed out that those who settle but do not join the army “are arrested at military checkpoints, and therefore come out dead from one of the intelligence agency’s cells.”
Al-Assa’d believes that the goal of the settlement and facilitating the exit of young people is to “evacuate the area of its original inhabitants and settle new residents from the Syrian coast, Iraqis, and Lebanese who fought within its militias.”
Political dimensions of settlement
One of those young men who recently subjected to the settlement told North Press under the condition of anonymity about the reasons that led him to undergo settlement.
He said that in the absence of a political solution in the country and with the country remaining under the rule of the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, immigration will be the temporary solution for most young people.
“There is no solution for those who are wanted inside the country except to accept settlement in order to be able to leave the country.”
He ruled out that “the regime will fulfill the six-month deadline promised to those who undergo settlement, and they will continue to be pursued at military checkpoints,” but he expects that “the regime will turn a blind eye to those wanted for a short period until they leave the country.”
He deemed that this settlement is “at the behest of Arab and neighboring countries to eliminate the armed revolution in the south and countries supporting Eighth Brigade which al-Assad uses to get rid of those who carried weapons.”