Syria rebels start leaving Daraa as part of truce

Syrian rebels started leaving the southern province of Daraa on Tuesday as part of a Russian-brokered truce aimed at ending the worst fighting in the region in years, a war monitor said.

Daraa was retaken by the Assad regime in 2018 but remained restive and unstable, with regular protests against Assad and attacks on regime checkpoints.

The siege by regime forces of Daraa al-Balad, a southern district of the provincial capital considered a hub for former rebels, began in June after residents refused to take part in presidential elections widely considered a sham by the international community.

Clashes including artillery exchanges between the two sides have marked the biggest challenge yet to the truce deal that returned Daraa province to regime control but allowed rebels to stay on in some areas.

Russian-sponsored talks begun in the wake of the latest fighting have intensified in recent days as the regime stepped up its campaign to root out remaining rebels from Daraa al-Balad.

An agreement (details are still unclear) in #Daraa al-Balad, buses carrying a few fighters left to HTS control area in NW Syria, while the Russian Military Police and the Fifth Corps entered areas in Daraa al-Balad now

— Omar Alhariri (@omar_alharir) August 24, 2021

On Tuesday, it appeared that warring parties had agreed to a deal, as opposition fighters boarded buses to take them to rebel-held territory in the north, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The evacuations are a main part of the ceasefire accord that also calls on opposition fighters who stay in the province to hand over their weapons, the Observatory said.

Forces linked to the Syrian regime are expected to deploy inside Daraa al-Balad under the agreement, it said.

The pro-regime Al-Watan newspaper also reported the start of evacuations, saying that "implementation of the truce agreement has begun".

Earlier on Tuesday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that 38,600 internally displaced persons are registered in and around Daraa, with most having fled from Daraa al-Balad.

"This includes almost 15,000 women, over 3,200 men and elderly and over 20,400 children," OCHA said.

It warned of a critical situation in the volatile district, saying that access to goods and services, including food and power, is "extremely challenging".

The Observatory said that regime forces are restricting the entry of goods into Daraa al-Balad, where it says 40,000 people still live.

"They are living under siege with families facing shortages of food, medical services, potable water, power and internet," said the monitor, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria.

UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen on Tuesday warned the Security Council of a pressing need for humanitarian assistance.

"We repeat our calls on all parties to end the violence immediately," he said.

"Immediate, safe and unimpeded humanitarian access is needed to all affected areas and communities, including Daraa al-Balad."