UN Human Rights chief calls for end to clashes in Syria's Deir ez-Zor region

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has called for an end to the current conflict in the Deir ez-Zor area in eastern Syria, where more than 50 people, many of them civilians, have been killed in several weeks of clashes between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and local Arab tribes. 

Turk said the fighting could add an additional “catastrophic dimension” to Syria's long-running civil war, which has already affected millions of Syrians.

“The warning signs of a further fragmentation to the conflict in Syria are alarming. We cannot afford to sit back and watch the country slide even deeper into an endless conflict, which has already scarred the lives of so many civilians,” the UN human rights chief said.

American involvement in the conflict

The American Embassy in Syria has also been working to bring an end to the clashes, with US officials meeting with SDF representatives and Arab tribal leaders in a bid to restore calm.

The conflict erupted in late August after the SDF arrested Ahmed Khbeil, also known as Abu Khawla, the commander of the Deir ez-Zor Military Council, accusing him of drug trafficking and other crimes. 

Both groups have cooperated in the past against the extremist Islamic State group, in an effort backed by the United States.

Growing disputes between groups

Dr. Hamoon Khelghat-Doost, a lecturer in international relations at the University of Lincoln in the UK, told The Media Line that, in recent months, there have been several disputes between Abu Khawla and senior SDF leaders on how to share power and control over the Deir ez-Zor area.

Earlier this month, the US Embassy in Syria posted on X (formerly Twitter) that Ethan Goldrich, the deputy assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, and Maj. Gen. Joel Vowell, the commander of the Combined Joint Task Force in Operation Inherent Resolve, met in northeastern Syria with the SDF and Arab tribal leaders to stress the importance of the strong US partnership with the SDF in its effort to defeat Islamic State.

“They agreed on the importance of addressing the grievances of residents of Deir ez-Zor, the dangers of outsiders interfering in Deir ez-Zor, the need to avoid civilian deaths and casualties, and the need for de-escalation of violence as soon as possible,” the embassy's statement said.

Deir ez-Zor is the largest city in the eastern part of Syria and is the capital of the Deir ez-Zor governorate, an area rich in oil that was partly conquered by Islamic State in 2014 and today is held by the SDF. After the defeat of Islamic State, the SDF and the Deir ez-Zor Military Council cooperated to keep the region safe.

According to Khelghat-Doost, the SDF's detention of Abu Khawla raised tensions that later developed into clashes. 

He said that while the SDF has US support, the Arab clans in Syria's eastern and northern regions had hurried to condemn the arrest of Abu Khawla and also expressed their willingness to take part in combat operations in support of the Deir ez-Zor Military Council against the SDF.

“These Arab tribes believe that their basic rights are being violated under the rule of the SDF Kurdish forces," Khelghat-Doost said. "They are accusing the SDF's Kurdish leaders of being corrupt and discriminatory against Arabs. Therefore, the Arab clans demanded that the international coalition completely hand over the area to the clans and for all Kurdish fighters within the SDF to leave it.” 

A Syrian humanitarian activist identified only as Muhammad told The Media Line that the current clashes in Deir ez-Zor could open the door for a resurgence of Islamic State.

“Prolonging the conflict will allow Islamic State to return,” he said, but added that he believes that the conflict will find a resolution soon as neither side wants the re-emergence of Islamic State. 

Khelghat-Doost said that Syrian President Basher al-Assad's government was monitoring the situation closely, given that both sides in the conflict were enemies of his regime. 

He also said he believes that this common denominator means that the clashes will not continue for long. 

“Both involved parties have started negotiations over how to end the clashes as they know that continuing to fight will only benefit the central government,” Khelghat-Doost said.

He said that international pressure, mainly from the US, was also a significant factor.

However, he added that a ceasefire would not solve the core problem. 

“Both parties know that reaching a sustainable agreement is extremely difficult. This means that the possibility of future clashes remains high,” he said.

Dina Ramadan, a Syrian researcher and a co-founder and CEO of the Al-Salam Institute for Women’s Studies, told The Media Line that the current situation is not sustainable. While the area's leaders may be focused on fighting Islamic State, the marginalization of the region's Arab tribes and their lack of education is “laying the groundwork for a new generation of Islamic State,” she said.

Cyril Widdershoven, a geopolitical and international oil and gas market specialist, described the clashes as a power struggle that comes at a time when the Syrian regime is under pressure and internal turmoil is sparking once again.

However, he said that this is linked to a wider international context. 

“Whatever happens in Syria is not only Syrian, but also regional, or even global power politics,” Widdershoven told The Media Line.

He said that while Turkey currently feels stronger because of its closer ties to the Gulf Cooperation Council nations, Iran wants to keep its position strong, too, which is why it accused the US army of looting Syrian oil last month, he said. 

Russia “is currently looking to remove US power in Syria, as it also would like to have the US weakened in the Arab world. Therefore, current clashes may be minor but they are linked to the bigger picture,” Widdershoven said. 

Ramadan said that rumors have been circulating for several months suggesting that the Syrian regime and its allies, Iran and Russia, are mobilizing forces in the region to drive the SDF out as a first step to pushing the US out of Syria. 

“The US presence is one of Russia's major obstacles to declaring victory in Syria and reaping the benefits while focusing its attention on the Ukraine front,” Ramadan said. However, she said that despite this, it is wrong to attribute the Arab tribes' uprising in Deir ez-Zor to an Assad-led effort. 

Ramadan also said that while the conflict deserves attention due to its potential ramifications, “many parties, particularly the Assad regime, will use it as an attempt to divert attention away from the current crises that he is facing, which include the peaceful protests in Sweida [in southwestern Syria].”