ConflictBarometer_2015

MIDDLE EAST AND MAGHREB
obstruct the implementation of state projects. son
SYRIA (INTER-OPPOSITION VIOLENCE)
Intensity: 3 | Change: | Start: 2013
Conflict parties:
Conflict items:
Jabhat al-Nusra vs. Ahrar al-Sham vs.
Islamist groups vs. NC
system/ideology, subnational predominance,
resources
The conflict between the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary
and Opposition Forces (NC) and their military wing
Free Syrian Army (FSA), various moderate and Islamist groups
such as Jabhat al-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham over subnational
predominance, ideology, and the orientation of the political
system de-escalated to a violent crisis.
While the groups fought on several occasions jointly against
the Syrian government or the so-called Islamic State, tensions
among Islamist groups themselves and between Islamist and
moderate groups persisted [→ Syria (opposition); Syria, Iraq
et al. (IS)].
In Aleppo governorate, Jabhat al-Nusra and the US-backed
Harakat Hazm were engaged in heavy clashes between January
and beginning of March, leading to the dissolution of the
latter. Jabhat al-Nusra had previously accused the group of
having shelled civilians and tortured prisoners. For instance,
on January 29, clashes erupted between Jabhat al-Nusra
and Harakat Hazm fighters, after the former had attacked
headquarters of Harakat Hazm in Salman camp. Reportedly,
the attack was a response to the kidnapping of two Jabhat
al-Nusra fighters. On February 5, Jabhat al-Nusra attacked
Harakat Hazm fighters near the village of Sheikh Ali. Jaish
al-Mujahideen intervened and mediated the situation. Between
February 27 and March 1, Jabhat al-Nusra attacked
all Harakat Hazm headquarters in the vicinity of al-Atarib,
whereby 80 fighters were killed, including 50 from Harakat
Hazm. Moreover, Jabhat al-Nusra seized the group's weapons,
namely ammunition, cannons, missiles, and tanks. As a result,
the US-backed group dissolved and announced to join the
Aleppo-based umbrella group al-Sham Front. On July 29,
Jabhat al-Nusra captured seven members of the US-backed
group Division 30, including three group leaders, in the town
of Azaz. Two days later, Jabhat al-Nusra attacked the same
group's military base in Aleppo, killing five and injuring 18. In
a statement, Jabhat al-Nusra warned other opposition groups
not to participate in what it deems ''the American project in
Syria.'' On September 21, the members of the US-trained
Division 30 handed over their weapons to Jabhat al-Nusra
immediately after entering Syria from Turkey.
In Idlib governorate, inter-opposition skirmishes mainly occurred
between Ahrar al-Sham and Jabhat al-Nusra fighters.
On January 1, residents of the town of Salqin continued
to protest against the Jabhat al-Nusra-controlled courthouse
and police in the town. Jabhat al-Nusra accused Ahrar al-
Sham of instigating the protests. On January 23, Ahrar
al-Sham-affiliated groups captured a Jabhat al-Nusra headquarter
in the town of Shinan in southern Idlib. The local
Jabhat al-Nusra emir was taken hostage and weapons were
seized. On January 31, in order to prevent the construction
of a Jabhat al-Nusra checkpoint in Idlib, the local Ahrar al-
Sham branch attacked the group. In subsequent clashes, one
Ahrar al-Sham fighter was killed and several other injured. In
following negotiations, Ahrar al-Sham agreed to remove their
checkpoints in the area.
In Damascus and Rif Dimasqh governorate, clashes erupted
mainly between local militias and Jabhat al-Nusra after residents
repeatedly protested against the latter. For instance, on
January 4, residents of the southern Damascus suburb held
protests for the sixth day in a row, demanding that Jabhat
al-Nusra leaves the area. Reportedly, Jabhat al-Nusra briefly
withdrew from the village of Beit Sahem by mid-January. In
the end of January, Jabhat al-Nusra announced to withdraw
from the Sharia courts in Eastern Qalamoun. Moreover, they
annulled all agreements with other groups in the area. In
the beginning of February, the Damascus-based group Ajnad
al-Sham accused Jabat al-Nusra of having killed two of their
commanders in the city of Irbeen. On March 6, Jabhat al-
Nusra shot at demonstrators protesting against the group's
control of Beit Sahem. Subsequently, clashes erupted between
Jabhat al-Nusra, on the one hand, and local militias
supported by residents, on the other, in the villages of Babilla
and Beit Sahem. After an agreement with the local groups
was reached, most of the Jabhat al-Nusra fighters withdrew
from Beit Sahem.
In Dara'a governorate, tensions between the Southern Front,
a coalition of several FSA brigades, and Jabhat al-Nusra rose
in the beginning of April. For instance, on April 13, Southern
Front fighters issued a joint statement in which they disassociated
themselves from Jabhat al-Nusra and rejected any
military cooperation. Two weeks before they had launched
a joint operation on the Nasib border crossing to Jordan. On
October 20, fighters of al-Habib al-Mustafa Brigade, a member
of Southern Front, clashed with Jabhat al-Nusra in the
town of Tafas, whereby one person was killed and several
others injured.
In Homs governorate, nine militant groups formed the Jaish
al-Tawhid coalition in the beginning of May. On May 9,
the coalition accused Liwa Usud al-Islam of having attacked a
field hospital held by other militant groups in the town of Telbisa
and having kidnapped injured Jabhat al-Nusra members.
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SYRIA (OPPOSITION)
Intensity: 5 | Change: | Start: 2011
Conflict parties:
Conflict items:
NC, FSA, Jaish al-Fatah, Jaish al-Islam,
al-Sham Front vs. government
system/ideology, national power
The war over national power and the orientation of the
political system between opposition groups and the government
of President Bashar al-Assad continued for the fifth
consecutive year.
The opposition mainly consisted of the National Coalition for
Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (NC), its military
wing Free Syrian Army (FSA), and umbrella groups such as
the Islamist Jaish al-Fatah, Jaish al-Islam, and the al-Sham
Front. The government was supported on the ground by
Iran and various Shiite militias from Syria and neighboring
countries, most prominently the Lebanon-based Hezbollah.
Moreover, Russia started to support the government with
airstrikes on September 30. Additionally, the government,
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