Essam al-Buwaydhani

Essam al-Buwaydhani (also rendered as Issam Bouidani), better known with his kunya Abu Hammam al-Buwaydhani is a Syrian military officer and former rebel leader. He was reportedly born in Douma and was a businessman by profession. He was elected leader of Jaysh al-Islam after Zahran Alloush, the previous leader of the group, was killed in an air strike in December 2015.

Following the fall of the Assad regime, Buwaydhani and other rebel leaders, met with Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham head Ahmed al-Sharaa in December 2024 at a conference in Damascus, where they agreed to dissolve their factions. Buwaydhani then became an official in the Ministry of Defense.

Arrest and release On 24 April 2025, Buwaydhani was arrested at Dubai International Airport while exiting the United Arab Emirates. He was reported to have entered the country for private reasons using a Turkish passport.

On 23 April 2026, Buwaydhani was released after a visit from Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to the United Arab Emirates.