In spite of the truth that residents in Mhajjah located in the north countryside of Daraa, had reached an “alleviation agreement” on March 14, 2017, with the Syrian regular army to lift the choking siege since December 26, 2016, yet, the siege is still imposed until the moment of writing this report, late of May 2017. Nevertheless, the locals paid 25 million Syrian pounds and numbers of “light guns” to the officials responsible for the checkpoint. It should be recalled that the siege was imposed by members of the regular army, members of the Military Security Branch affiliated to the Military Intelligence Division, and Hezbollah-led foreign fighting elements,
Qasim al-Omar, a member of the negotiating delegation, told Syrians for Truth and Justice, STJ, the details of the alleviation agreement:
“On March 9, 2017, Wafiq al-Nasser, the Commander of the Military Security Branch of Daraa, sent a delegate from as-Sanamayn to meet the negotiating delegation composed of dignitaries and leaders of the opposition factions in Mhajjah. The delegate was known as “Antar”, a businessperson in the area, and we believe that he had shared material interests with the commander of the Military Security Branch, especially since he was the intermediary in previous settlements signed in January 2017, both in as-Sanamayn and in Ghabagheb, Daraa countryside. Both cities were besieged for several months and denied access to all kinds of medical and food items. That what forced the people to accept the conditions of the Syrian forces, including allowing troops of the Syrian regular army to enter the area and control certain neighborhoods, and handing over of a number of weapons which the armed opposition forces possess, to end the siege imposed on them."
Al-Omar indicated that terms of the agreement included that locals should pay 25 million Syrian pounds, with a view to purchase weapons from outside the town, present them to the official Media, loyal to the Syrian regular forces, and to say that gunmen from the town have surrendered their weapons. Under this agreement, Syrian forces will lift the blockade, allow access of food and medical supplies, release some detainees and allow the entry and exit of civilians.
In a related context, Abo Mohammed al-Ahmed, a member of the eight-person negotiating committee, which is tasked with collecting the required amount from Mhajjah's residents, told STJ about the financial and living hardships of the population as a result of the embargo, saying:
“We were in charge of a great responsibility given the amount requested was very large compared to the difficult financial situation of the inhabitants of the besieged town. Particularly, since all the jobs in the town had stopped, even government officials were prevented from going out to receive their salaries, and most of the city's savings were spent buying wheat and baking, let alone the inflated rise of food prices, which amounted to five times its original price."
Speaking about the mechanism of collecting the amount required, Abo Mohammad said:
“Every family had to pay at least 10,000 Syrian pounds. We entered most of the town's houses, and given the poor financial conditions of many people, some of them were able to pay only a thousand Syrian pounds. When everyone learned that if the required amount could not be collected, they would stay in a state of siege, so they were compelled to collect the amount imposed on them in all ways. One of the ways was to request of relatives living outside Syria to send those funds, and on March 20, 2017, the sum was fully collected and delivered to the mediator identified as Antar. "
Image shows the Main Street and the market in Mhajjah, the northern country of Daraa, most shops are closed because of the siege imposed by the Syrian regular army since December 26, 2016. Photo credit: STJ
On March 21, 2017, the Syrian regular army partially lifted the siege of the town and allowed opening an-Najeeh checkpoint, a crossing point in the southern side of the town, to allow access of some foodstuffs, exit and entry of some civilians and employees. However, the Syrian army continued preventing the introduction of flour, diesels and medical supplies on the pretext of failing to complete the agreement, which required the purchase of weapons and filming them by the Media loyal to the Syrian regular army.
On May 13, 2017, the pro- Syrian Regular army Media channels showed pictures and videos alleged to be of the settlement and reconciliation process, for those who are wanted from Mhajjah, which took place at the headquarters of the Fifth brigade affiliated to the Special Forces in the Syrian regular army in Izraa. Despite the completion of the agreement terms, the Syrian regular army did not fulfill its obligations by fully lifting the siege of the town, according to STJ reporter.
Image of the weapons presented by the Syrian regular army as being from the town of Mhajjah in the northern countryside of Daraa- photo credit: official media loyal to Syrian regular forces.
On the other hand, Wasim al-Hamad, the head of the local council of Mhajjah، spoke to STJ, saying:
"Following the reconciliation meeting held at the headquarters of the Fifth brigade in Izraa city, 450 civilians were allowed to leave the town, including former employees of the closed health facility in the town, along with those who failed to perform compulsory service, as well as 20 defectors of the army who had settled their situation. Moreover, the Syrian regular army vowed to open passages to allow access of food, flour, medical supplies, and gas and oil diesel to Mhajjah, starting from Sunday, May 14, 2017. However, it had not yet committed so far, and had merely released about eight detainees who had been arrested recently. It should be mentioned that the number of detainees from this town in the system's jails exceeded 200 persons, including three women."
According to STJ reporter, the Mhajjah people are still apprehensive about the Syrian regular Army's failure to meet the commitments and lift the siege of the town, despite the fact that the locals handed over most of their money. In addition to not having a guarantor party to this agreement, especially that the Syrian regular army rearrested young men from Mhajjah like the young man Wissam Ibrahim al-Barghash ,who was arrested on a checkpoint in Damascus during his trip to work in Lebanon. Wissam is one of the persons whose situation was settled in Izraa a couple of days ago. It should be mentioned that on May 24, 2017, the Syrian regular army introduced some flour, but STJ reporter confirmed that it was only enough for a week.