What’s Happening in East Syria’s Deir Ezzor Province?

Days of deadly clashes between the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and local fighters have rocked eastern Syria's Deir Ezzor province, threatening a fragile balance in the strategic area.

The SDF spearheaded the offensive that defeated the ISIS group's self-declared “caliphate” in Syria in 2019.

Arab-majority Deir Ezzor province, a resource-rich region which borders Iraq, is bisected by the Euphrates river and is home to dozens of local tribal communities, some of whose fighters joined the SDF in its battle against ISIS.

AFP looks at what's behind the recent violence.

Who's in Deir Ezzor?

Control of Deir Ezzor is split between the US-backed SDF to the east of the Euphrates, and Iran-backed Syrian government forces and their proxies, including fighters from Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, to the west.

The border area is part of key smuggling routes for fighters, weapons, drugs and consumer goods.

The SDF, which includes Kurdish, Arab, Armenian and other fighters, seized swathes of Deir Ezzor province following successive US-backed campaigns against ISIS.

A semi-autonomous Kurdish administration controls areas in north and northeast Syria, through local civilian and military councils in an effort to stave off Arab discontent, and regularly announces meetings between SDF officials and tribal leaders.

US-led coalition forces, who entered Syria in 2014 to fight ISIS, have set up bases to the east of the Euphrates.

ISIS cells in the province carry out attacks on both SDF and government forces, particularly from desert hide-outs.

What triggered the fighting?

On August 27, Kurdish-led forces detained Ahmad al-Khabil, also known as Abu Khawla, the head of the Deir Ezzor Military Council, which is affiliated with the SDF.

The SDF has accused Khabil of communicating with the Syrian government, and of alleged drug trafficking and mismanagement leading to an uptick in ISIS activities.

Angry fighters loyal to Khabil launched attacks on the SDF that spiraled into clashes in several villages and towns, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor.

The situation escalated after some pro-government fighters crossed the Euphrates and joined the clashes, according to the SDF and the Britain-based Observatory, which has a vast network of sources inside Syria.

Dozens of people have been killed, mostly fighters loyal to Khabil and SDF members including Arab fighters, but also civilians, according to the Observatory.

The SDF announced a 48-hour curfew in the area starting last Saturday, and on Monday urged civilians to leave the last town where it said hostile local fighters were stationed.

The US embassy in Syria, which is based outside the country, said Sunday that two senior officials had met with the SDF, Kurdish authorities and tribal leaders from Deir Ezzor, urging de-escalation "as soon as possible".

Dispute with Arab tribes?

The SDF has denied any dispute with Arab tribes in the region, saying the clashes have mostly involved "elements of the regime and some beneficiaries" of Khabil.

It has urged local residents "not to be drawn into the strife".

However, Syrian state media has characterized the fighting as pitting the SDF against Arab tribes, while pro-government daily Al-Watan has described the local fighters as "Arab tribal forces".

"There is nothing actually known as Arab tribal forces," said Omar Abu Layla, an activist who heads the DeirEzzor24 media platform, noting that some tribal leaders work with the SDF while others quietly collaborate with the government.

Officials close to Khabil, "especially those who benefit from smuggling", started the fighting, he noted.

"What is happening today is incitement to chaos by a number of internal and external parties," he said.

Aron Lund of the Century International think tank said that "village, family, tribe, trade, smuggling -- all of that probably matters as much as the ethnic Arab-Kurdish dimension or the political conflict".

However, "if fighting spreads and Arab-Kurdish relations are poisoned... there's no shortage of actors that would be interested in feeding the chaos", he told AFP, describing the area as a "tinderbox".

Clashes rocked neighboring Hasakeh province on Sunday, after some fighters in Turkish-held areas had urged support for those opposing the Kurdish-led forces in Deir Ezzor.

Türkiye sees the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which dominate the SDF, as an offshoot of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and has launched successive incursions into Syria targeting Kurdish forces.

President Bashar al-Assad's government rejects the Kurdish administration and accuses it of "separatism".

When powerful thunderstorms hit Morocco's arid south, they brought deadly floods but also provided some relief to farmers as the country grapples with its worst drought in nearly 40 years.

The torrential rains at the weekend triggered floods that killed at least 18 people in areas of southern Morocco that straddle the Sahara desert.

While the rain was devastating in part, it also brought some relief to farmers growing crops like almonds, dates and cereals.

"These rains will bring a breath of fresh air" to the south, said agronomist Mohamed Taher Srairi.

"But it has not rained elsewhere, and the country remains under a heavy structural drought."

The unusual rainfall resulted from a tropical air mass shifting northward, according to Lhoussaine Youabd, spokesman for Morocco's General Directorate of Meteorology.

Experts say climate change is making extreme weather, such as storms and droughts, more frequent and intense.

Morocco is one of the world's most water-stressed nations, with frequent droughts affecting a third of the population employed in agriculture.

Near areas of the northwest African country lashed by the weekend's rain, water levels in dams have risen and groundwater is expected to replenish.

The four Draa Oued Noun dams, which supply areas impacted by the floods in the Ouarzazate region, saw water levels increase by 19 percent to 191 million cubic meters, according to Youssef Ben Hamou, director of the agency managing the barrages.

The region of Ouarzazate, located in Morocco's south, sits between the Atlantic Ocean, the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara.

Water levels of the large Ouarzazate dam climbed to 69 million cubic meters, roughly 70 percent of its capacity, while levels at the Fask dam rose by 10 million cubic meters in just 24 hours.

- Rains bring hope -

"The rains have proved to be a boon for the region, because these reserves will be able to ensure drinking water supply which remains a priority," said Ben Hamou.

Mohamed Jalil, a water resources consultant, said the downpours would help to replenish soil saturation levels, although that usually requires rainfall over time after a long drought.

"This will bring respite to the oases, particularly for agriculture," he said.

The psychological impact of the long-awaited rains was also significant, he said, especially after a harsh, dry summer.

The massive rainfall had "brought hope" to the drought-hit area, he said.

The Moroccan government has pledged financial aid to the flooded areas.

During a visit to Ouarzazate this week, Agriculture Minister Mohammed Sadiki announced the allocation of $4.1 million to repair damaged infrastructure, support agriculture and help those affected by the floods.

Although no further downpours are expected in the immediate future, climatologists warn that Morocco must better prepare for weather disasters driven by global warming.

Moroccans should be ready "for new phenomena whose frequency and violence are unknown, given the effects of climate change", said Mohamed Said Karrouk, a climatology professor at Hassan II University in Casablanca.

What’s Happening in East Syria’s Deir Ezzor Province?