Syria to undergo fundamental shift to decentralized governance: SDF commander

The top commander of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) says Syria is on the verge of a fundamental political shift toward decentralized governance, framing an agreement with Damascus on March 10 as the first step toward ending more than a decade of war and deepening ethnic divisions.

In an interview with the pro-Kurdish Yeni Yaşam news website published on Monday, SDF commander Mazloum Abdi said the 14-year-old conflict has made the old model of centralized, authoritarian rule unsustainable. He argued that the fall of Bashar Assad’s Baathist regime in December 2024 — replaced by an administration led by the originally jihadist Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa — has transformed Syria’s geopolitical orientation and ideological makeup.

“Syria must change. Change will come,” Abdi said, calling the shift from a secular Arab nationalist ideology to a “nationalist Islamist” one unprecedented since independence in 1946. He insisted the country’s future “will be based on a decentralized system that allows all peoples to play their role.”

The March 10 agreement, reached after months of indirect contacts between the SDF and the HTS-led interim government, was brokered in part by US and UK-based civil society groups that provided security and logistical support for the meetings. Abdi said the deal was driven by the urgent need to halt escalating violence, including fighting between SDF units and Turkish-backed forces near the Tishrin and Qaraqozak dams, and sectarian attacks targeting Alawite communities.

Under the framework, the two sides committed to a nationwide ceasefire, the reintegration of territories into a unified Syrian state and the eventual inclusion of SDF fighters in a restructured national army. It also envisages the formation of locally elected councils and constitutional guarantees for minority language rights. While many of these provisions remain under negotiation, Abdi called the accord a “principled agreement” that created a foundation for dialogue rather than military confrontation.

Abdi acknowledged direct communication channels with Turkey, which considers the SDF an offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) but has not actively blocked the March deal. “Turkey tells us, ‘You and Damascus must come to an agreement,’” he said, adding that Ankara has not imposed practical obstacles so far. However, he noted that Ankara’s position on the integration of SDF forces into the Syrian army differs from his own view that “we are Syrians, and our forces have the right to be part of the Syrian army.”

The HTS-led administration, backed financially by Gulf states and maintaining ties with Turkey and the United Kingdom, is accused by Kurdish political figures and human rights organizations of enforcing Arabization policies and working to dismantle the autonomous administration in northeast Syria. They contend that such measures, combined with threats of military intervention and demands for the SDF to lay down its arms, risk reigniting ethnic and sectarian violence and destabilizing the already fragile truce.

Abdi described Syria’s realignment away from alliance with Iran and Russia as a profound change that came with the regime transition, predicting that it will have a ripple effect on regional politics. “This is not only a Syrian change; it will impact Middle East politics as a whole,” he said.

While the March 10 agreement has so far reduced large-scale fighting, its implementation remains incomplete. Disputes over command structures, oil revenue sharing and the control of border crossings with Iraq have stalled progress. Abdi urged all sides to focus on translating the framework into concrete steps.

“Our priority is to stop the war and resolve Syria’s problems through dialogue,” he said. “There should be no more civil war, and there should be a permanent ceasefire.”