In a decisive turn for Syria's decade-long conflict, the interim government of President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced a nationwide ceasefire and political agreement with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Sunday, effectively restoring state control over the country's oil-rich northeast. The deal, endorsed by U.S. Special Envoy Tom Barrack as a "pivotal inflection point," marks the end of the SDF's autonomous rule and represents a major victory for Damascus in its campaign to reunify the country.
The agreement follows nearly two weeks of intensified clashes and a rapid military advance by the Syrian Arab Army. In a swift offensive, government forces captured key cities including Tabqa and its strategic dam west of Raqqa, and seized control of major oil and gas fields like Al-Omar and Conoco in Deir Ezzor province. This military pressure, combined with defections from Arab tribal fighters allied with the SDF, hastened the negotiations and left the Kurdish-led administration politically isolated.
Under the terms of the comprehensive 14-point agreement, the SDF has agreed to its own dismantling and full integration into the Syrian state. All SDF military and security personnel will be vetted and absorbed into the Syrian ministries of defense and interior. In a major concession, the SDF will surrender administrative control of the northeastern governorates of al-Hasakah, Deir Ezzor, and Raqqa to Damascus, including all border crossings, civilian institutions, and the critical oil and gas fields that financed its autonomy. Responsibility for prisons and camps housing thousands of Islamic State (IS) fighters and their families will also transfer to the central government.
In parallel, President al-Sharaa issued a surprise decree on Friday offering significant cultural concessions. For the first time since Syria's independence in 1946, Kurdish is designated a "national language," and the Kurdish New Year (Nowruz) is recognized as an official national holiday. The decree also restores citizenship to Kurds who had been stripped of it. The Kurdish administration welcomed the move as a "first step" but insisted that permanent constitutional guarantees, not temporary decrees, are needed to secure their rights.
Analysts describe the outcome as the "effective capitulation" of the SDF, driven by a lack of sustained U.S. political backing and shifting American priorities. U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, who mediated the talks in Damascus and Erbil, publicly supported the reintegration deal, signaling a dramatic shift in Washington's stance from protecting SDF autonomy to backing Damascus's sovereignty. The agreement also fulfills key Turkish demands, as it commits the SDF to expelling non-Syrian members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) from Syrian territory.
With the ceasefire now in effect, the implementation of the complex integration deal is expected to take months, if not years. The agreement, if fully realized, would mark the definitive end of the autonomous Kurdish project in northeastern Syria and cement President al-Sharaa's authority over a nation shattered by nearly 14 years of war.