Syria faces fragmentation amid clash between Interim government, Kurdish-Led SDF

The road toward a unified Syria remains fraught with challenges, as the interim government seeks to prevent fragmentation amid religious and ethnic groups demanding varying degrees of autonomy.

Syrian interim leader Ahmad al-Sharaa on Friday issued a decree affirming the cultural, linguistic and civic rights of Syrian Kurds, as tensions rise between the authorities and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Aleppo and its eastern countryside.

On January 6, fighting broke out between the SDF and Syrian government forces over an area the SDF had controlled for years.

Aleppo Governor Azzam al-Gharib said around 27,450 civilians have fled the Kurdish-held areas of Deir Hafir and Maskanah toward Aleppo city and its countryside in recent days due to the confrontations.

Although the SDF has announced its withdrawal from the enclave, the confrontation has signaled the risk of broader, localized violence across different parts of the country.

"The ideological background that the current government carries has created mistrust between the government and the other society components. It is crucial for the government to adopt a new policy and form a new social contract in cooperation with all the local communities," said Mazen Bilal, a political analyst in Damascus.

The Kurdish-led SDF controls a large swath of territory in northeastern Syria, accounting for roughly one-third of the country's total area.

The escalation highlights the fragility of the March 2025 agreement, which aims to integrate the SDF into state institutions and end parallel military control in northern Syria. Both the interim authorities and SDF have accused each other of violating the deal.

The U.S. brokering role in Syria has so far failed to deliver progress toward reunifying the country, with its approach widely described as inconsistent.

"What the Western powers care about in Syria is managing the risks, preventing the spread of chaos to Syria's neighboring countries, particularly Israel, so they try to contain the crises and keep a cautious calm only," said Bilal.

Syria faces fragmentation amid clash between Interim government, Kurdish-Led SDF

Syria faces fragmentation amid clash between Interim government, Kurdish-Led SDF

South Africa's National Disaster Management Centre declared a national disaster on Sunday as heavy rains and flooding continued to batter northern parts of the country.

According to local media reports, continuous rainfall since late December has caused severe flooding in Limpopo Province, where at least 17 people, including two children, have died. Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Velenkosini Hlabisa said in a statement on Sunday that 20 people had been killed in flood-related incidents in Mpumalanga Province.

More than 1,600 homes and 31 schools have been affected in Limpopo, while over 1,000 homes in Mpumalanga have suffered varying degrees of damage. The flooding has also forced the partial closure of Kruger National Park, one of Africa's largest wildlife reserves, with more than 600 visitors evacuated after rising waters inundated access roads and campsites.

The South African National Defence Force has deployed two helicopters to assist with rescue operations and evacuate residents stranded in hard-hit areas.

S Africa declares national disaster as flooding batters northern region