The Syrian government on Sunday announced a ceasefire with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), taking almost full control of the country and dismantling the Kurdish-led forces that controlled the north-east for over a decade.
The announcement comes as tensions between government forces and the SDF boiled over earlier this month, eventually resulting in a major push by government forces towards the east. The SDF appeared to have largely retreated after initial clashes on a tense frontline area in eastern Aleppo province.
Hours after the government announced the deal, SDF leader Mazloum Abdi confirmed it in a video statement, saying the group had accepted the agreement, which stipulates their withdrawal from Raqqa and Deir el-Zour provinces “to stop the bloodshed”.
“We will explain the terms of the agreement to our people in the coming days,” he said.
Syria’s defence ministry said it ordered the fighting to halt on the front lines after the agreement was announced.
Syria’s new leaders, since toppling Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, have struggled to assert their full authority over the country. An agreement was reached in March that would merge the SDF with Damascus, but it didn’t gain traction as both sides accused each other of violating the deal.
Since the push, the government has largely asserted control of the Deir el-Zour and Raqqa provinces, critical areas under the SDF that include oil and gas fields, river dams along the Euphrates, and border crossings.
Syria’s state-run news agency Sana showed president Ahmad al-Sharaa signing and holding the agreement. Abdi, who was scheduled to meet with the president in Damascus, was not seen, though his signature appeared on the document. Al-Sharaa told journalists that Abdi could not travel due to bad weather and would visit Damascus on Monday.
“It’s a victory for all Syrians of all backgrounds,” al-Sharaa told journalists in Damascus after signing the agreement. “Hopefully Syria will end its state of division and move to a state of unity and progress.”
The two warring sides are key allies of Washington. US envoy Tom Barrack met with al-Sharaa earlier on Sunday as government forces were sweeping into the city of Raqqa and across Deir el-Zour province. Abdi reportedly joined the meeting over the phone.
Barrack praised the agreement, saying it would lead to “renewed dialogue and cooperation toward a unified Syria”, ahead of working on the details of implementing the integration.
“This agreement and ceasefire represent a pivotal inflection point, where former adversaries embrace partnership over division,” Barrack said in a post on X.
The agreement includes dismantling the SDF and having its forces join Syria’s military and security forces, while senior military and civilian officials would be given high-ranking positions in state institutions.
The SDF would have to give up the Raqqa and Deir el-Zour provinces – both Arab-majority areas – to the Syrian military and government, as well as its border crossings and oil and gas fields.
Hassakah province – the heartland of the Kurdish population – is only expected to give its civilian administration back to Damascus, while the Kurdish-led agencies that handled prisons and sprawling camps with thousands of detained Islamic State group fighters and families would be handed over to Damascus.
There was no clear timeline on when and how the different elements of the agreement will take effect. Al-Sharaa told journalists that it would be gradually implemented, beginning with the cessation of hostilities.
It appeared that tensions following clashes in Aleppo earlier this month had calmed after Abdi announced that his troops would withdraw east of the Euphrates river, and al-Sharaa issued a presidential decree that would strengthen Kurdish rights in the country.
Large military convoys swept into Raqqa city on Sunday evening and it appeared the SDF had withdrawn. Crowds in Raqqa celebrated in the streets late into evening, waving Syrian flags and setting off fireworks.
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