UN says hostilities in Aleppo “undermine” Syria’s political integration

United Nations

Sphinx News: Ahmed Ali

With at least 13 civilians killed on the second day of fighting between Syrian Armed Forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in northern Aleppo, the UN urges resumption towards a political solution aimed at amalgamating all Syrian factions into a consolidated political unit.

Following the toppling of previous Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December of 2024, incumbent Ahmed al-Sharaa took over a heavily segmented state still overcoming the shockwaves of a brutal and repressive civil war. A massive priority of Sharaa and his new administration was uniting the people of Syria under a unified political and social front, integrating all regional actors and Syrian citizens into an inclusive Syrian political system. Far from simple, fusing the Syrian Democratic Forces with the current Syrian Armed Forces was seen as paramount, critical to setting an important precedent of control for Sharaa’s central government and extending control over the domain of predominantly SDF-controlled areas in northern Syria, critical as they share integral border crossings with both Türkiye and Iraq.

Despite a deal inked in March 2025 between President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Mazloum Abdi, the SDF leader, to merge both groups together, the settlement’s implementation has been largely stagnant. Initially brokered by the United States with additional facilitation by French and Turkish officials, the diplomatic momentum has largely stalled due to issues of military cohesion and Kurdish political participation. The latest rounds of talks between both groups in Damascus on Sunday, January 3rd, saw an SDF delegation led by top commander Mazloum Abdi, unable to reach any comprehensive agreement. Reports surfacing from Syrian state media outlets described the latest negotiations as unable to produce any “tangible results,” with both groups agreeing to hold further meetings at a later date.

A major point of contention at the core of the disagreement has been remarks indicating that the SDF wants guarantees on governance and regional autonomy beyond simple military integration, terms and conditions which Syrian government officials have indicated were not part of the original agreement outlined in the March 2025 political settlement. Speaking to Syrian media outlets after the latest negotiations, Mazloum Abdi told reporters that while there was “notable progress” in certain areas, “constitutional issues still require time and deep dialogues to reach a consensus encompassing the entire Syrian geography.” The Kurdish military commander added, “There is an understanding about the principle of decentralization and the disagreement lies in the interpretation of terms.”

Government officials in Damascus highlighted what they described as glaring ambiguity and a lack of elucidation within the initial agreement. Syrian Deputy Minister of Information Obada Koujan made an official statement on Facebook, where he stated, “The SDF must bear the responsibility for failing to fulfill what it signed, in the presence of major powers such as Türkiye and the US, on March 10.” Additionally, in an interview with Turkish media outlet Anadolu Agency, marking the first anniversary of the fall of the Assad regime in early December 2025, Syrian Information Minister Hamza Mustafa said the SDF “missed historic opportunities,” emphasizing that the issue of “federalism and political decentralization” is completely off the table.

Nonetheless, the lack of a comprehensive solution has led to renewed fighting in the northern city of Aleppo, where two days of deadly clashes have closed schools, government offices, and an airport. The Syrian Army has since declared Aleppo’s Kurdish areas “closed military zones” and ordered civilians to leave immediately. In a statement issued yesterday, the Syrian Army Operations Authority stated that all “military sites of the SDF organization within the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods of Aleppo are a legitimate military target for the Syrian Arab Army, following the organization’s major escalation towards the neighborhoods of Aleppo city and its perpetration of numerous massacres against civilians.”

While both sides have blamed each other, the United Nations has urged both parties to “immediately de-escalate, exercise maximum restraint, and take all measures to prevent further harm to civilians.” On top of adopting any and all measures to preclude ongoing hostilities, the United Nations Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, urged both parties “to demonstrate flexibility and goodwill, on both the military and political tracks, and promptly resume negotiations in order to fully implement the 10 March agreement.” He added that the next step needs to see the SDF and Syrian Armed Forces combine “under a unified command that represents the state of Syria, a state where all Syrians — regardless of their religion, regardless of their ethnicity or anything else — would feel safe, would feel protected by that state.”