Recent Local Developments in Azaz

The Syrian town of Azaz is held by the Northern Storm Brigade.

Thetown of Azazin north Aleppo countryside near the border of Turkey emerged to the forefront of attention to the Syrian civil war in the weeks preceding the “truce"/reduction in hostilities as the Kurdish YPG-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) attempted to take the remainder of rebel-held north Aleppo countryside, taking advantage of the regime and its allies’ cutting off Aleppo city from the border by breaking the sieges of the Shi’a villages of Nubl and Zahara’. The SDF seized Mennagh airbase and Tel Ref’at, but no other major advances occurred, despite widespread speculation that Azaz and Mare’a would fall too. Instead, at the present time, only occasional clashes occur on the peripheries of Azaz in particular.

Though a key part of the narrative of SDF has been that it is fighting the al-Qa’ida affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra in the north Aleppo countryside, the claim can be challenged. The most important rebel forces in the north Aleppo countryside areas north of Nubl and Zahara’ are the Shami Front (the key administrative actor) and Ahrar al-Sham (a considerable military presence but not administering territory). Though some local Jabhat al-Nusra members remain at least in the town of Azaz, the group withdrew as a fighting force from the north Aleppo countryside fronts against the Islamic State (IS) in the summer of 2015 in response to the U.S.-Turkish “safe zone” plans. As a result, when one speaks of Jabhat al-Nusra currently fighting in the north Aleppo countryside, it only means points south of Nubl and Zahara’. Therefore, in contrast, there is validity to the SDF claim to be fighting Jabhat al-Nusra (and other jihadis like Jamaat Ansar al-Islam) in parts of Aleppo city, where fighting has also broken out between rebels and SDF.

“North Media Foundation” emblem.

A related dynamic here is to consider SDF motivation. Among the SDF forces is Jaysh al-Thuwar, many of whom were members of FSA-brand rebel forces that came into conflict with Jabhat al-Nusra and were subsequently routed (e.g. Syrian Revolutionaries Front, Harakat Hazm & Division 30). Therefore, a desire to get revenge on perceived members and/or allies of Jabhat al-Nusra must be taken into consideration here.

Besides these military developments, civil life and administration continue in the north Aleppo countryside. In the town of Azaz, administered by Shami Front-affiliate Northern Storm, some key institutions include the local council, the Shari’i court affiliated with the Supreme Judicial Council, and the media office. The media office is officially known as the “North Media Foundation” and currently has five employees. Its administrative official is one Uqba Hitab, who is originally from Deir az-Zor and fled on account of IS, which destroyed the rebels in the eastern province.

In October 2015, a dispute arose between the local council and the media office. The media office is based in a room inside a two-storey building that was once a café. The local council wished to take the building for itself in order to rent it out for income. The media office rejected the claim and so the dispute was referred to the Shari’i court. The document below I have obtained from October 2015 features a summons call for Uqba Hitab with regards to this case. It should be noted that the dispute was resolved earlier this month with the court ruling in favour of the media office.

Central Shari’i Court: Azaz

Case Notification

Claimant: Head of the Local Council in the town of Azaz
Defendant: Media Office in the town of Azaz

Addressed to the media office represented by Uqba Hitab whose specific address is: Azaz.

The Shari’i Committee calls on you to attend on Saturday 24 October 2015 for you to face the head of the Council by request....

You are requested to attend at the specified time and date under penalty of the issuing of a subpoena against you.

On date...at time...with the attendance of the following witnesses whose names are:

Witness:
Witness:
Bailiff:

Central Shari’i Court: Azaz
Supreme Judicial Council

Besides the media office-local council dispute, a depreciation in the value of the Syrian pound has meant that some businesses and exchange shops in Azaz have been refusing to deal with currency units of value 50, 100 and 200 Syrian pounds. This led to a notification last month from the Shari’i court obliging all businesses and shops to deal in these currency units.

Central Shari’i Court: Azaz
Supreme Judicial Council

In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

Statement for Distribution

To all exchange and business shops in the town of Azaz:

We have been informed of the refusal of some to accept dealing with currency units of value 50, 100 and 200 Syrian pounds. We have also been informed that this is making people fall into severe hardship and is leading to great affliction.

Therefore we ask for an end to this sort of behaviour and specify:

1. All exchange and business shops are obliged to deal with currency units of those values.

2. All who violate this statement for distribution will be punished, possibly leading to the closure of one’s shop and one’s imprisonment.

- This decision is considered effective from this date.
- Copies of the decision are to be distributed to all shops.

Issued on 23 February 2016.

Head of the Central Court in Azaz.

Update (26 March 2016): Another local administrative development that has come up recently in Azaz involves the price of electricity, related both to the availability of diesel fuel for generators and its price in Syrian pounds as well as the continuing fall of the value of the Syrian pound relative to the U.S. dollar. The diesel fuel comes from traders who purchase supplies in Islamic State-held areas. At the moment, a key factor in keeping diesel prices somewhat low is the high supply relative to the demand. This would change if there were to be a route for fuel trucks opened up on a more long-term basis to Idlib, leading to a sharp surge in demand. Currently, a route solely though rebel-held territory in Aleppo to Idlib is not possible since the regime broke the sieges of Nubl and Zahara’, while the route for fuel trucks through Kurdish-held Afrin is often closed.

The closure of this route through Afrin canton is usually due to the PYD administration, but sometimes Jabhat al-Nusra closes this route as it immediately leaves the Afrin canton and enters into the Aleppo town of Darat Izza to get through to Idlib province, on account of problems between Jabhat al-Nusra and the PYD. According to a friend in Jabal al-Summaq in northern Idlib, there was a fuel crisis in Idlib province around a month ago with a heavy rise in diesel prices, and then an agreement was reached for the passage of fuel to Idlib via Afrin and the north Aleppo countryside (though looking at the diesel prices in the Azaz Shari’i court document the agreement does not seem to have lasted long). On the other hand, the same source says that the regime may have opened up another route for fuel to reach the wider Idlib province via the village of Abu Dali, although exact details are not confirmed.

In terms of the Azaz Shari’i court’s attempt to regulate electricity prices, some generator owners reject the decision on account of the falling value of the Syrian pound (see Specimen D). It is questionable how far the Azaz Shari’i court can really enforce its rulings on this matter.

In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

- On account of the difficult living conditions in the north Aleppo countryside, and with a desire to prevent the exploitation of people’s need, and with the availability of diesel fuel ranging in price from 20,000 to 25,000 Syrian pounds [per barrel: depending on local exchange rate, anywhere between around $36 and $50], the central court in the town of Azaz has decided to fix the price of amperes of electricity on the following basis:

1. The fixing of the price of the ampere for one week at 700 Syrian pounds for a period of use of 9 hours a day.
2. The fixing of the price of the ampere for one week at 800 Syrian pounds for a period of use of 10 hours a day.

Let it be known that the fixing of the price according to this scheme has been discussed with some of the owners of generators.

The decision is to be conveyed to all owners of generators under penalty of holding to account that may result in removal [of the generator] and fine.

Date of issue: 9 March 2016

Central Shari’i Court in Azaz

Supreme Judicial Council
Diwan

To the user brothers:

In view of the rise of the values of the dollar, the price of one ampere has become 1000 Syrian pounds [per week w/daily use of 8-9 hours] beginning from next week.

Thanks for your cooperation.

Update (27 March 2016): Azaz is not the only place where attempts have been made to set the price of electricity. The rebel-held parts of the city of Aleppo similarly saw a price definition set by the head of the Free Aleppo City Council: a civil administration body for the rebel-hed parts of the city that is linked to the Free Aleppo Province Council, which in turn has ties to the opposition Syrian interim government. The decision appears to have the endorsement of a number of organizations and factions, as shown by the stamps on the document below, including Jabhat al-Nusra, Ahrar al-Sham, the Salah al-Din neighbourhood council and the Aleppo city court.

Announcement Complaint number: 0959474182

Official tariff for the price of the domestic ampere:

Implementing the decision issued by the head of the Free Aleppo City Council:

No. 267 on date 24 March 2016

15 Syrian pounds for one hour.

This tariff becomes effective beginning on Saturday 26 March 2016 and lasting until the end of the week on the date of the issuing of the period report of prices for the next week.

Complaints will be received in the Provisional Oversight Office located in the building of the Aleppo City Council.

Head of the local council for Aleppo city
Buraitha Haji Hassan

Head of the Oversight and Tracking Committee
Director of Provisional Oversight (by commission)
Mustafa Flayis