Protests on "The Friday of the Tribes", 10 June 2011
Hassan Hassan writes for The Guardian:
Since the pro-democracy uprising erupted 16 months ago, various countries have sought leverage over Syria's political future by trying to establish close ties with individuals or blocs in the opposition. Turkey, for example, hosts the Syrian National Council and the Free Syrian Army, and also has a strong link with the Muslim Brotherhood. France, meanwhile, plays host to several senior opposition figures, including the highest-ranking defected military officer, General Manaf Tlass. But probably the most valuable of all potential allies is Nawaf al-Fares, the Syrian envoy in Iraq who defected earlier this month and is now in Qatar.
Unlike other opposition figures who have little power base in Syrian society, Fares leads a powerful clan in the east of the country. His clan is part of the Egaidat tribal confederation, the largest and most prominent in that area, with at least 1.5 million members across 40% of Syria's territory. It also has kinship links to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar.
The Arab Gulf states' aggressive stance towards the Assad regime has been driven by these ties as well as by their anti-Iranian sentiment. From the early weeks of the uprising, members of the Syrian tribes in Deraa were appealing to their "cousins" in the Gulf to help them.
From the Gulf to Iraq to Syria, the area is interlinked in a complex web of tribal relations. The Syrian tribes originated in Arabia and moved north with the Muslim campaigns in the seventh century and later in search of water and grazing for livestock.
This expanse of the tribes was split by the Sykes-Picot Agreement between France and Britain in 1916 along artificial national borders that persist today. Relations between these tribes, nonetheless, have been sustained.
The Shammar confederation has at least one million members in Syria and is one of the largest tribes in the region. The Jubour has a presence in eastern Syria and Iraq and sustains strong relations with relatives in the Gulf, more than other tribes. The Eniza is another prominent Gulf tribal confederation with numerous members in eastern Syria and the governorates of Suwaida, Homs, Hama and Aleppo.
The N'eim is the prominent tribal confederation in Deraa, with a considerable number in Homs too, and a strong presence in the Gulf. Some top leaders of the Free Syrian Army come from this tribe. The Baggara is a prominent tribe in both Iraq and Syria (approximately 1.2 million, mainly in Deir Ezzor and Aleppo), with a modest presence in the Gulf.
Tribal leaders who openly opposed the Assad regime have become a source of pride to their tribes. Nawaf al-Bashir, a leader of a prominent tribe in Syria, Iraq and the Gulf, is a popular figure because he joined the uprising early on. Previously, Bashir was a member of the Syrian parliament and represented the country in parliamentary delegations to the Gulf.
According to Kassar al-Jarrah, a cousin of Fares, all the Egaidat tribal leaders in Syria have called to express solidarity with the defected ambassador – despite historical rivalry. "They said that [Fares] has raised our heads high," Jarrah said. "Their respect for him has increased after he defected. The old tensions and competition have disappeared after his honourable act."
Jarrah added that at least 15 large families from the tribe have Qatari citizenship and many of his relatives are naturalised citizens of Gulf states, some of them serving in their armies. Members of these tribes in the Gulf customarily extend visits to their relatives in Syria and mediate in disputes.
Intermarriage ties also exist between these tribes, including between members of Saudi Arabia's ruling family and the Nijris clan in Deir Ezzor. The Nijris tribal chief, Sufough al-Nijris, often visited his royal relatives in Riyadh.