Local Agreement in Syria; Rebels Leave Homs

Syrian government officials announced on Tuesday, December 1, that they have reached an agreement with opposition fighters regarding a local ceasefire in Homs. According to the Associated Press, under this agreement, 3,200 armed opponents will leave the al-Waer neighborhood of Homs and move to other areas controlled by anti-Bashar Assad rebels. Al-Waer is the last neighborhood in the city of Homs, located in central Syria, that was under rebel control, and according to the new agreement, with the departure of the rebels, Syrian government institutions will return to this neighborhood. Reports indicate that this agreement, signed between the government and several different rebel groups, will also include a local ceasefire, the release of prisoners, and the return of government employees to al-Waer, and will be implemented starting next week. The city of Homs, which is Syria's third-largest city, was one of the first cities where residents rose up against Bashar Assad's regime in 2011 and was once known among rebels as the 'capital of the revolution.' Forces loyal to Bashar Assad have besieged the al-Waer neighborhood since early 2013, often preventing food supplies from entering the area. Talal Barazi, the governor of Homs, told the Associated Press that there are still 60,000 people residing in al-Waer. A similar agreement was signed between the government and rebels in May 2014, resulting in approximately 1,200 militants and civilians leaving central Homs neighborhoods. The Syrian civil war has so far resulted in over 250,000 deaths and at least one million injuries.