Protests and SDF defections: Discontent simmers in eastern Deir e-Zor

PARIS — Several commanders defected from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the eastern countryside of Deir e-Zor in recent days, amid demonstrations and calls for Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)-led forces to take control of the area. 

Turki al-Dhari, the official spokesperson of the SDF-affiliated Deir e-Zor Military Council and its commander in the eastern Deir e-Zor town of al-Kisra, announced his defection with a filmed statement posted online on Thursday. He cited “SDF violations against civilians in Deir e-Zor and Raqqa” as the reason for his decision, calling on the United States (US)-led international coalition to stop supporting its longtime ally.  

Command-level defections in Deir e-Zor in recent days coincided with simmering public anger after live bullets were fired at anti-SDF demonstrators in Raqqa and Deir e-Zor this week. Protesters were calling for the SDF to withdraw in favor of opposition forces that control most of Syria after toppling ousted President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday. 

Al-Dhari is among six commanders to defect from the Deir e-Zor Military Council since Tuesday, as the eastern province—like the rest of Syria since Operation Deterring Aggression began on November 27—witnesses security changes and a shifting map of control on the ground. 

For years before the Assad regime fell on December 8, control of Syria’s oil-rich Deir e-Zor province was split between the SDF, east of the Euphrates River, and the regime and affiliated Iranian militias to the west. Today, a similar division remains, but with HTS-led forces controlling the western countryside. 

Popular rejection

Protests took place in the towns of Hatla, al-Halabiya, al-Husseiniya and Marat on Thursday, calling for the SDF to leave the eastern Deir e-Zor countryside. Euphrates Post, a local network covering eastern Syria, reported SDF forces fired heavily into the air to disperse the demonstrators. 

On December 9, local media reported SDF forces fired on a demonstration in Deir e-Zor city, with 10 people ultimately killed as a result. The SDF—which briefly took control of the provincial capital as the regime crumbled—withdrew on December 11. The HTS-led Military Operations Department (MOD) later officially announced it had taken control of the city.

A commander within the Deir e-Zor Military Council denied the SDF was responsible for shooting demonstrators. Speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to make statements to the media, he said SDF forces were stationed at their headquarters and did not go out to confront the protests. 

“The SDF is determined to impose safety and security in the area and pursue [Islamic State] IS cells and armed groups that seek to spread discord between us and the population,” he added. 

Following defections and ongoing anti-SDF demonstrations, the SDF has shut down all river crossings between the eastern and western banks of the Euphrates River in Deir e-Zor. Defectors from the Deir e-Zor Military Council fled over the river to MOD territories in recent days. 

Ibrahim al-Hussein, a media activist from the al-Shaitat tribe in the eastern Deir e-Zor countryside, told Syria Direct Thursday evening that SDF forces were “now encircling al-Shaitat villages [Abu Hamam, Ghranij and al-Kishkiya], imposing a full curfew under threat of gunfire.” 

“The situation in eastern Syria is now catastrophic, due to the SDF targeting demonstrations in Deir e-Zor and Raqqa,” al-Hussein added. He was in direct contact with his family members in the villages, but himself left for Deir e-Zor city once the MOD took control. “Now there is total popular rejection of its presence,” he added, calling on the MOD to “intervene immediately.” 

One journalist from Deir e-Zor city, who is currently living in the SDF-controlled northern Deir e-Zor, said the SDF had regained control over the entire eastern bank of the Euphrates, including villages where defections took place. “The [Arab] tribes could escalate matters more in Deir e-Zor against the SDF,” he said on condition of anonymity for safety reasons. “We may see larger demonstrations.”

SDF control of Deir e-Zor has been challenged before, when a major uprising by Arab tribal forces against the SDF broke out in 2023. After the SDF was able to quell unrest with backing from the US, defeated fighters fled to regime-held territory, from which they attacked and bombarded SDF areas again this past August.

“The people of Deir e-Zor reject escalation with the SDF. We don’t want war. We’re tired of displacement and arrests,” the journalist in northern Deir e-Zor added. At the same time, he emphasized people in the province “categorically reject separation from Syria and any partition project.”

While joyful celebrations spread across Syrian provinces with the end of the regime, “the people of Deir e-Zor still refuse to celebrate Assad’s fall until all of [Syrian] territory is in the hands of a single, unified government,” he added. 

Commanders defect

Defections from the Deir e-Zor Military Council not only included its official spokesperson, but also as the heads of military councils in towns such as Hajin, al-Sour, and al-Basira, according to defection statements Syria Direct monitored. The commander of the second brigade in Abu Hamam, a village in eastern Deir e-Zor, also defected.

However, the Deir e-Zor Military Council commander who remains at his post denied reports of any large-scale defections and said those that have occurred are not significant. “Only two defected, and they have ambitions west of the Euphrates,” he said. “Our forces are pursuing those saboteurs.”

Recent defections could have a “minor impact,” but “there is secrecy and things are still unclear,” the journalist in northern Deir e-Zor said. Defected commanders “were part of the Deir e-Zor Military Council for seven years, and had repeated disputes with the SDF administration and its policy in Deir e-Zor,” he added. 

While some defected commanders initially attempted to take control of their towns or villages, “the SDF regained control after sweeping the area, with help from international coalition aircraft,” the journalist said. “All the defected commanders left towards the west of the Euphrates.” 

The US has not publicly disclosed any such operations in Deir e-Zor in support of the SDF against defected members of its forces. 

Another journalist, who works for a media agency close to the SDF-backed Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) and is following events in Deir e-Zor, also downplayed the importance of the defections or initial SDF withdrawals. 

“The SDF, after every attempted coup or defection, withdraws to the far east of the province, then returns to comb it completely with coalition support,” he said. “The defectors are Arab commanders trying to wipe the slate clean to obtain future positions with the MOD,” he said.

At a political level, there appears to be no change in the position of the US towards the SDF. “We continue to work with them,” Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said at a press briefing on Wednesday. “There’s been no change to our work or partnership with SDF forces.”

This report was originally published in Arabic and translated into English by Mateo Nelson.