A/HRC/25/65
marginalized the non-ideological and moderate groups, partly owing to the selective
financial support provided by certain Governments and their nationals.
16.
To describe this complex landscape, non-State armed groups can be classified into
four broad, non-exclusive umbrellas:
•
Syrian moderate nationalists organised in a conglomeration of armed groups affiliated
to the internationally backed Supreme Military Council, fighting the Government and
calling for the formation of a democratic and pluralistic State. This also includes
moderate Islamic groups and armed groups with local agendas limited to their
communities’ aspirations.
•
Syrian Islamic armed groups bringing together fighters aimed at the ousting of the
Government and militating for the institution of sharia law as the framework of an
Islamic State in the country.; This category encompasses fighters from a wide Islamic
ideological spectrum.
•
Radical Jihadist groups, including the two major Al-Qaieda affiliates, Jabhat Al-Nusra,
and the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS), recruited from Salafi jihadist fighters
and with the substantial presence and influence of foreign fighters. A rift has grown
between the two groups, as the former remained engaged alongside other rebel groups
in fighting government forces, while ISIS prioritized the consolidation of its territorial
control against all encroachments.
•
Kurdish armed groups, mainly the Popular Protection Units (YPG), who have taken
charge of protecting and governing territory, benefiting from a unified command,
disciplined members and popular support. They reinforced their control of Kurdish
regions after engaging in combat against other armed groups, in particular Al-Qaida
affiliates in Aleppo, Ar Raqqah and Al Hasakah governorates.
17.
The overlap in ideological orientation and political aspirations, as well as continuous
individual and collective migration among the first three groups, makes it difficult to draw
linear or fixed lines of separation among these categories. Securing logistical resources, in
particular funding, has become the most important driving factor of structural and
operational dynamics among rebel groups. In many cases, joining an armed group or a
coalition is more a matter of survival than genuine ideological engagement.
18.
In this intricate context, internal strife among rebel groups from all categories has
escalated over the control of territories and resources, including roads, border crossings,
smuggling routes and natural resources. Recently, long-brewing tensions between ISIS and
other rebel groups, including the Islamic Front, culminated in violent hostilities extending
across northern and northeastern governorates.
19.
A description of the current political and humanitarian context is annexed to the
present report (see annex II).
6
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