Ahmad al-Assi al-Jarba (Arabic: أحمد عوينان العاصي الجربا; born 25 October 1969) is a Syrian lawyer and politician who served as President of the Syrian National Coalition from 2013 to 2014. The leader of the Syria's Tomorrow Movement, Jarba has been widely described as a secular politician despite his leadership role within the traditionally conservative Shammar tribal confederation.

Ahmad Jarba
Jarba in 2013
President of the Syrian National Coalition
In office
6 July 2013  12 July 2014
Prime MinisterGhassan Hitto (Acting)
Ahmad Tu'mah
Preceded byGeorge Sabra (Acting)
Succeeded byHadi al-Bahra
President of the Syria's Tomorrow Movement
Assumed office
11 March 2016
Preceded byParty established
Personal details
BornAhmad al-Assi al-Jarba
(1969-09-15) 15 September 1969 (age 56)[1]
PartySyria's Tomorrow Movement (since 2016)
Other political
affiliations
Syrian National Coalition (2012–2025)
EducationBeirut Arab University (LLB)

Jarba was born in Qamishli, Syria, into the Shammar tribal confederation, one of the largest Arab tribal groupings in Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.[2][3][4] He graduated in law from the Beirut Arab University. Before becoming active in the Syrian opposition, he was imprisoned by the Syrian government and was later recognized as a former political prisoner.

Following the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, Jarba became a member of the Syrian National Council and subsequently joined the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, the principal political umbrella organization representing the Syrian opposition.[5][6]

On 6 July 2013, Jarba was elected President of the Syrian National Coalition after defeating Mustafa Sabbagh, who was supported by Qatar, in a second round of voting during the coalition's general assembly.[7] He succeeded Moaz al-Khatib and served as president until 11 July 2014. On 5 January 2014, he was re-elected to a second term, defeating former Syrian prime minister Riad Hijab by 13 votes.[8] During his presidency, Jarba represented the coalition in international diplomatic efforts related to the Syrian conflict and sought to strengthen ties among the coalition's various political and military factions.

After leaving the coalition's presidency, Jarba founded the Syria's Tomorrow Movement, a secular political movement advocating a democratic and pluralistic Syrian state. The movement established an armed wing, the Elite Forces (Quwwat al-Nukhba), which later joined the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).[9][10][11]

In September 2018, Jarba met with representatives of the Movement for a Democratic Society (TEV-DEM), a leading political organization in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.[12] The two sides issued a joint declaration calling for a democratic, pluralistic, and united Syria and expressed support for greater political cooperation in northeastern Syria.[13]

References

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  1. Ahmad al-Jarba: 'Al-Assad will not win'
  2. Rudaw. Middle East
  3. "Profile: Ahmad Jarba, Syrian opposition leader". BBC News. 8 July 2013.
  4. "Unlikely partners join forces to lead by example in Syria - Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East". 30 September 2016.
  5. "Syrian National Coalition facing splits over new president". Asharq Al-Awsat. 12 July 2014. Archived from the original on 2 September 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  6. "Who's who: Ahmad Assi Jarba". The Syrian Observer. 12 July 2013. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  7. "Better than the one before?". The Economist. 13 July 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
  8. "Syria opposition re-elects Jarba as leader". Al Arabiya. 6 January 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  9. "Bosno Sinj". Twitter. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  10. "South Hasakah/North Deir Ezzor situation on April 28, 2016". agathocledesyracuse.com. 28 April 2016. Archived from the original on 31 May 2016.
  11. Szakola, Albin. "New rebel force battling ISIS in northeast Syria". Archived from the original on 27 May 2016. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  12. "Syrian tomorrow and self-management stream are calling for a dialogue under the auspices of Syrian Arabic". Syria's Tomorrow. 11 September 2016.
  13. "Agreement for the future of Syria". ANF. 11 September 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2016.