The exchange of prisoners and detainees between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has stalled since mid-April after becoming tied to political issues, hampering efforts to integrate the SDF and implement an agreement reached last January.
Abdulkarim Omar, a senior official in the Kurdish Autonomous Administration, told Asharq Al-Awsat that several issues still require “further discussion and consensus.”
He said the top priority remains the detainees file and the return of displaced people, stressing that both the Autonomous Administration and the SDF are fully committed to the agreement.
The remarks came as families of SDF detainees held by the Syrian government staged a protest demanding the release of their sons, according to Kurdish media, amid reports of reciprocal arrest campaigns in Hasakah and Raqqa provinces.
Omar said the detainees and prisoners file was still receiving “careful attention and follow-up” from the SDF and the Autonomous Administration.
“This reflects our commitment to fully implementing the provisions of the Jan. 29 agreement, which represents an important framework for cooperation and understanding between the Autonomous Administration and the transitional government,” he said.
He said the Autonomous Administration and the SDF were committed to implementing all provisions of the agreement, including the integration of military, security and administrative institutions, while taking into account the particularity of Kurdish areas.
He said there was “full awareness that the integration process requires building trust and a genuine will from all parties, in addition to overcoming any rhetoric that could obstruct this path.”
According to the Kurdish news agency Hawar, families of SDF detainees held by the Syrian government complained that they had been prevented from seeing their sons in detention centers in Aleppo.
Families of detainees also staged protests in Hasakah city to demand their release. Video clips aired by Kurdish media showed a group of families demonstrating outside the Hasakah governorate building on Tuesday.
“We are seeking urgent solutions that ensure the release of all detainees in order to ease the suffering of their families,” Omar said.
He added that the return of displaced people to their original areas remained a top priority. About 1,400 families have so far returned to Afrin, while around 7,000 families in Jazira and Kobani are still waiting to return to their hometowns.
Work is also continuing to allow other families displaced from Ras al-Ain, Tal Abyad and other areas to return “with dignity and safety,” he said.
Outstanding Issues
Omar said several issues require further discussion and agreement. These include integrating the Women’s Protection Units into the Syrian Defense Ministry and developing mother-tongue education in Kurdish areas.
He added that other issues include accrediting certificates issued by Autonomous Administration institutions on par with other areas, as well as matters related to courthouses and other technical and administrative issues.
“We are confident that through shared will, continued and transparent dialogue and trust-building, tangible progress can be achieved on these files in a way that serves the interests of all Syrians and strengthens national stability,” he said.
He said progress on these files represented “a real opportunity to strengthen trust among all parties,” adding that commitment to agreements was the best path toward “solid national unity, lasting stability and a shared future marked by security and dignity for all Syrians.”
The prisoner and detainee exchange file had made notable progress in March and April under understandings aimed at “emptying prisons” and building confidence as part of the implementation of the agreement.
In the latest batch, around 400 SDF detainees were released in exchange for 91 detainees held by the Syrian government.
That followed earlier batches in March that saw 300 detainees released in exchange for 300 others, and before that, 159 detainees were released in exchange for 100.
Sipan Hamo, also known as Samir Oso, assistant defense minister in Syria’s interim government for eastern region affairs, described linking the detainees issues to political pressure as “immoral.”
In an interview with Hawar, he said the mechanism used in recent exchanges was “wrong,” adding that all prisoners should have been released on the day integration was announced, without batches.
Ahmed al-Hilali, spokesman for the presidential team tasked with overseeing the implementation of the Jan. 29 agreement, said in press remarks that the delay in taking over courthouses, especially in Qamishli, had negatively affected other files, most notably detainees.
He said the issue had shifted from an exchange approach to release procedures after the Syrian government took over prisons in Hasakah, but that the process was still facing delays.
Hilali said the integration track was linked to several overlapping issues, including the detainees, whom he described as “non-negotiable.”
But he said it was still affected by progress in implementing the agreement, while expressing optimism that a breakthrough could be achieved in the coming days.
Reciprocal arrests
In a parallel development, local media said SDF forces carried out an arrest campaign on Monday in Hasakah city and its surroundings.
The Hasakah Media Center said the campaign took place in the city’s Salihiya neighborhood and in the village of al-Fahd near Panorama roundabout, leading to the arrest of a young man in Hasakah and several residents of the village.
Syrian security forces had earlier arrested a number of people affiliated with the SDF in Raqqa. Asharq Al-Awsat sought details from government and Kurdish sources on the nature of those arrests but received no response.
