Ceasefire agreement in northeast Syria: Assessing progress in implementation

The 10 March 2025 agreement between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian interim authorities aimed to integrate the security and civilian institutions established in northeastern Syria into the state structures by the end of the year. Its failure prompted a rapid government offensive in January 2026, which led to the SDF losing a vast majority of territory. The resulting violence displaced over 170 000 people and raised serious concerns about the SDF-guarded detention centres and camps holding Islamic State (ISIL/Da'esh) fighters and their families.A new agreement, signed on 30 January 2026, ended the fighting but also weakened hopes for preserving Kurdish autonomy. The deal provides for a comprehensive ceasefire and a phased integration of the SDF and the administrative structures of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) into Syrian state institutions. While slow, progress in implementation has been visible.External players remain influential in post-Assad Syria. The United States (US), the Kurds' main ally against ISIL/Da'esh, has shifted its support to the Syrian interim authorities, a move criticised as an 'abandonment' of the Kurds. Conversely, Türkiye has, directly or through proxies, fought against the SDF, viewing its main component, the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), as an offshoot of the terrorist-designated Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).Since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, the European Union (EU) has called for a peaceful and inclusive transition and the protection of all minorities. The EU welcomed the January 2026 agreement and announced the resumption of the EU-Syria cooperation agreement. The European Parliament also welcomed the deal, while insisting on the need to ensure Kurdish civil and educational rights and political representation.