Author: M Barbu

No, the old militia commander says at the end of a long conversation. Hardly anyone would head into the desert like they used to – didn’t do so for years. “Anyone who did, disappeared.” Time and again, some of the Bedouin shepherds and gatherers who used to follow the sparse vegetation would fail to return. “The Badia,” as the Syrian desert between the coastal hills in the west and the Euphrates valley in the east is called, “was a place of doom,” says the man, his face lit by the wavering light of a lamp fed by a generator.

The Syrian caretaker government’s Minister of Defense, Marhaf Abu Qasra, stated last Friday in remarks to the American newspaper The Washington Post that some armed groups are still hesitant about integrating into the new Syrian army, including the “Eighth Brigade” in Daraa, led by Ahmad al-Awda. However, the brigade’s media office director told 963+ that they are open to integration into the army and are in contact with the Ministry of Defense. This issue adds to the many files that the new administration needs to address. So how will this administration deal with the factions in the south, and where are things heading?

The ongoing back-and-forth between the Syrian Ministry of Defense and the leadership of the Eighth Brigade, led by Ahmad al-Awda—verging on an outright dispute—suggests a deep-rooted disagreement that has so far prevented their alignment within the framework of the newly established army. However, the reasons behind this discord are not limited to issues of disarmament, dissolution, or integration. Rather, they likely stem from broader regional and international dynamics whose exact motivations and objectives remain unclear, though they are not difficult to speculate upon.

A shifting political calculus by sponsors of the M23 rebel group risks triggering another war in the Great Lakes Region, underscoring the importance of African mediators and global partners acting quickly to stem the fighting.

Humanitarian groups worried north-east Syrian camps holding suspected IS members will lose basic facilities

Kurdish officials have warned of an Islamic State resurgence if US foreign aid cuts take effect on Monday, which would cripple essential services for tens of thousands of people detained in tented camps in north-east Syria, including suspected members of IS and their families.