Five civil associations and organizations announced the creation of community mediation committees, in Syria's eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, following years of judicial vacuum and the control of conflicting military authorities.
The group launched a civil campaign, under the slogan, “As-Solh Kheir” (reconciliation is good), in areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), with the aim to mend ties between the residents and strengthen social cohesion.
According to the campaign organizers, the committees include influential and active personalities in the community, as well as experienced and qualified clerics with a good reputation among the people.
Activist Ayman Allaw told Asharq Al-Awsat that the campaign was supported by the Street Foundation for Media and Development, in partnership and cooperation with the five active local organizations in the eastern Deir Ezzor countryside. Those include Dayrena, Furatuna, Samah, Mary and Insaf for Development.
Allaw said that these areas were predominantly inhabited by clans and tribes and lacked competent departments and courts after years of war.
“The importance of this campaign is to spread the culture of law and community reconciliation and to resort to the judiciary,” he underlined.
He stressed that the members of the reconciliation committees were residents of the region and have undergone practical and legal training to resolve disputes peacefully and offer solutions to daily disagreements and complaints among the people.
The aim is to resolve conflicts, prevent any escalation, and break the cycle of violence that has cast a shadow over the area in the past years, according to Allaw.
“The committees include sheikhs, tribal leaders and dignitaries, and an elite group of jurists and lawyers, who have experience in solving societal issues,” he explained.
Each committee has a female member, as some problems require the participation of women. The campaign was widely disseminated on activists’ accounts on social media platforms and local websites.
“We targeted the young generation, university students, and members of active civil organizations. We also put up banners and pictures and handed out brochures at the entrances to the main and secondary streets, and distributed leaflets to introduce the campaign,” the activist told Asharq Al-Awsat.
The eastern Deir Ezzor governorate has been divided between various military factions since March 2019. Its southern side, part of its east, and the center are under the control of pro-government forces, while the cities and towns adjacent to the northern bank of the Euphrates River are held by the SDF.
The region is run by local government institutions and civil and legislative councils that report to the Deir Ezzor Civil Council.
The local reconciliation committees have been working for a year and have succeeded in solving living problems, such as distributing aid, regulating access to electricity, water and bread, and resolving personal disputes that erupt between the residents and those displaced from other regions, according to Mohammed Al-Mohammed, director of the Insaf for Development organization and one of the campaign organizers.
He added that the committees also look into problems resulting from traffic accidents, extortion through social media, and other matters that hamper peace and stability, noting that around half a million people had benefited directly from the committees’ work.
Reconciliation committees are active in the city of Hajin and nearby villages, the towns of Abu Hamam and al-Kashkiyah in the eastern countryside, the towns of Muhaimda and Jadid Bakara, as well as Al-Busaira and its surrounding villages.
“We have concluded agreements and memoranda of understanding with the civil and legislative councils that administer these areas,” Mohammed said, noting that the teams “hold public seminars and training workshops, with the aim of disseminating ideas that boost societal values, drawing lessons and solutions and presenting them to the largest segment of beneficiaries.”
The community mediation committees base their work on a combination of Syrian law, relevant international laws and human rights legislation.
“We urge the families and participants to shun violence and preserve the social fabric that was torn apart by war,” Mohammed stressed.
The reconciliation committees contributed to solving many traffic accidents, random shootings or clan acts of reprisal. They also intervened to prevent cases of divorce and resolve inheritance and personal disputes, with the aim of establishing legal controls and guaranteeing safety and stability.
