An unsettled ceasefire was held Monday in the city of Deraa after rebel negotiators and the Syrian government tried to negotiate a comprehensive peace deal to end a three-month siege.
The tense negotiations to finalize the deal came after the new government called for the deployment of nine military checkpoints in Deraa so that the fighters could hand over more weapons and government troops search the city for wanted people.
The agreement had collapsed on Friday due to the new demands, and the city of Deraa was subjected to large-scale government shelling from Saturday evening to Sunday afternoon, killing three people.
“The regime threateningly negotiated during the day and bombed the city at night, resulting in significant losses of civilian property,” Adnan al-Masalmeh, the rebel negotiators spokesman stated to the press.
The rebels claim their light weapons are needed to protect their property, while civilians say the deployment of military checkpoints will disrupt their lives as they fear Syrian troops will take their homes while searching for wanted people.
Late last month, the negotiators reached an agreement on the exodus of some former rebels from Deraa to northwestern Syria. But after about 70 people were transferred, including civilians, the deal collapsed.
Deraa, the capital of Deraa province, was the first city to protest the rule of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad about a decade ago.
In 2017, Turkey, an ally of the rebels, and the government’s allies, Russia and Iran, reached the Astana Agreement, which created four de-escalation zones, including the province of Deraa. The government has captured all of the de-escalation zones except one in northwestern Syria.
In early 2018, government forces took control of Deraa province and rebels surrendered their heavy and light weapons in exchange for the cessation of operations and the opportunity to settle in the city of Deraa.
Since then dozens of fighters have died in ambushes and anonymous attacks.
The government has violated all agreements signed with the rebels, and has been besieging three neighborhoods in Deraa since the end of June, according to rebels forces.
Meanwhile, Opposition forces rioted and attacked government positions in most parts of the province.
About 38,000 civilians have been expelled to the outskirts of Deraa, while another 12,000 refuse to leave. Some civilians expressed doubts about the new agreement, rejecting the transfer to the rebel stronghold under Turkish control in northwestern Syria, fearing a new era of oppression and foreign interference, according to a report by AlJazeera.
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