Syrian Tycoon Khodr Ali Taher Disappears with Contradictory Reports Regarding His Fate
Syria Update Digest On 5 April, contradictory media reports emerged regarding the fate of the Syrian tycoon Khodr Ali Taher, who disappeared after the Syrian Government detained three of his relatives in Damascus. While it is too early to know Taher’s fate and the reasons behind his sudden absence, the Syrian Government’s routine crackdowns on […]
Situation Report: Kyiv in the Crosshairs
Executive Summary and Methodology In COAR Global’s first public report on the war in Ukraine, we provide an update on the situation facing civilians in Kyiv. Many longtime observers of Russian warfare fear Ukraine’s capital will be subject to the same siege tactics used against cities like Grozny, Aleppo, and Mariupol. We assess that while […]
Demining in Ar-Raqqa
Basic safety is a precondition for the delivery of humanitarian and development assistance and is essential to the recovery of communities transitioning from conflict. The scale of explosive remnants of war (ERW)[1]For the purposes of this research, all types of unexploded or abandoned explosive munitions posing a threat to human life are classified as ERW. […]
Improving Gender-mainstreaming in Social Cohesion Programming
Executive Summary Building on insights gained from COAR’s work on social cohesion programming as part of the Studies for Stabilisation series, this report considers ways in which aid programmes in North-east Syria (NES) can improve gender-mainstreaming in policy and practice. Fundamentally, this requires an approach that ensures the particular concerns and experiences of women and […]
Countering Violent Extremism and Deradicalisation in Northeast Syria
Executive Summary This report examines local capacities for CVE and deradicalisation in north-east Syria (NES). Specifically, it explores the challenges, successes, lessons learned, and opportunities for donors as determined by local actors working within CVE and deradicalisation, both from the perspective of local NGOs and the Autonomous Administration of North and Syria (AANES) and its […]
Mapping and Assessing Release and Reintegration Models from NE Syria Camps
Executive Summary Foreigners held in northeastern Syria’s IDP camps have attracted considerable international media and political attention. Far less thought has been given to their internally displaced Syrian counterparts. Here we consider this underexplored phenomenon, discussing in particular the release and reintegration mechanisms for Syrians at two camps: Hole and Areesheh. Regional authorities have announced […]
Social Cohesion in support of Deradicalisation and the Prevention of Violent Extremism: Programming Entry Points in North-east Syria
Executive Summary Does social cohesion programming in north-east Syria (NES) reflect an appropriate theory of change? How might social cohesion programming better resonate across the region’s primary identity groups to promote deradicalisation? For a region in which tribe, clan, and ethnicity play a pronounced role in socio-political organisation, the answers to such questions rest largely […]
Swelling As-Sweida Protests Highlight Discontent Across Government Areas
Syria Update Digest Protests have continued to escalate for the second consecutive week in the predominantly Druze As-Sweida Governorate, sparked by the Government of Syria’s decision to boot some 600,000 families from its subsidy rolls, depriving them of state support for basic staples. The protests have been enabled by As-Sweida’s special relationship with Damascus, but […]
Cross-Line Convoy Sets up Debate on Early Recovery and Cross-Border Quid Pro Quo
Syria Update Digest On 9 December, a UN convoy reached Idleb from Government of Syria-held Aleppo Governorate. The convoy is the second of its type, and it casts attention on the fast-approaching milestone in aid delivery in Syria: the six-month mark of the current cross-border authorisation, UN Security Council Resolution 2585. Although the authorisation is […]
