Al-Sabkha: one year after liberation, stability, services return

Al-Sabkha is located on the right bank of the Euphrates River, along the Raqqa–Deir ez-Zor main road, approximately 35 km east of the city of Raqqa. It was liberated from the Baath regime in early December 2024.

Administratively affiliated with Raqqa Canton, Al-Sabkha is considered one of its oldest cities. It has a long-established commercial location and is known for agriculture, livestock breeding, and fishing.

Several towns and villages fall under its administration, including: Western Al-Shreida, Eastern Al-Shreida, the Al-Furat and Salah al-Din farms, Al-Rahbi, the town of Zour Shammar, the village of Al-Ghanem Al-Ali, and Granada.

Demographic and Tribal Composition

The population of Al-Sabkha and its surrounding villages is estimated at around 65,000. Its residents belong to the tribes of Al-Sabkha, Al-Bumanea, Al-Jamasah, Al-Boushams, Al-Boudabsh, and Al-Brayj of the Al-Afadlah confederation. Families of Deir ez-Zor and Sukhnah origins have also settled in the city, in addition to Armenians, Circassians, and Aleppines who arrived in the mid-20th century.

The city’s society combines both rural and urban characteristics, with a strong reliance on agriculture and trade.

Events and Successive Authorities

With the outbreak of the Syrian revolution in 2011, the city went through successive phases of control. The so-called Free Syrian Army took control in early 2013, followed by the takeover by ISIS mercenaries in mid-2014, who imposed their strict laws. In 2017, the defunct Baath regime regained control of the city after expelling the mercenaries.

On 8 December 2024, Al-Sabkha was liberated by the Syrian Democratic Forces as part of their operations in the eastern countryside of Raqqa, marking the beginning of a new chapter in its modern history.

Current Situation and the Autonomous Administration

Since its liberation, the Democratic Autonomous Administration has been working to reorganize the city and its affiliated villages and to provide essential services, including drinking water, sanitation, electricity, and the reactivation of schools.

In mid-2025, the Executive Council of Raqqa Canton launched a population census in the city, which recorded approximately 11,000 families.

The Energy and Communications Authority in Raqqa Canton installed 14 electrical transformers to supply electricity to all areas of the city and its affiliated villages.

The Democratic Autonomous Administration in Raqqa Canton also supplied Al-Sabkha’s bakeries six in total with the necessary flour to meet citizens’ bread needs, at a rate of 23 tons per day.

With the start of the academic year, the Education Authority in Raqqa Canton reactivated all schools in the city, numbering 39 schools across three educational stages.

The number of students across the three levels reached 10,400 male and female students, taught by nearly 1,000 teachers.

In the services sector, the Union of Municipalities of Raqqa Canton allocated 7,000 cubic meters of asphalt mix to Al-Sabkha and its affiliated villages, resulting in the paving of 20 main and secondary streets. The Water Directorate in Raqqa Canton also rehabilitated Al-Sabkha’s drinking water station.

Meanwhile, the People’s Municipality in Al-Sabkha is installing 200 solar-powered street lighting units throughout the city.

For its part, the Internal Security Forces, across all their branches, are working to maintain security by conducting continuous patrols and setting up checkpoints, providing residents with a sense of safety and stability in their city.

The Democratic Autonomous Administration in Raqqa Canton continues its efforts to build all institutional structures in Al-Sabkha and to strengthen its economic and social stability.

ANHA