Essam al-Buwaydhani

{{Short description|Syrian rebel leader (1971–present)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}

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| name = Essam al-Buwaydhani

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| native_name = عصام البويضاني

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| birth_date = 1971

| birth_place = Douma, Syria

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| allegiance = {{flagicon image|Logo of Jaysh al-Islam.jpg}} Jaysh al-Islam

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• Syrian Civil War
• Rif Dimashq offensive (February–April 2018)

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Essam al-Buwaydhani, also known as Abu Hammam ({{langx|ar|أبو همام البويضاني}}) is a Syrian rebel leader. He was reportedly born in Douma and was a businessman by profession.{{cite web|url=https://www.gettyimages.fi/detail/news-photo/issam-al-buwaydani-known-as-abu-hammam-the-newly-elected-news-photo/502602694|title=Issam al-Buwaydani, known as Abu Hammam, the newly elected head of the Jaish al-Islam (Islam Army) Syrian rebel group, speaks during a gathering for the group on December 26, 2015, in the rebel-held town of Douma, on the eastern edges of the Syrian capital Damascus. Buwaydani, a 40-year-old businessman and fighter from Douma, was elected to replace Zahran Alloush just hours after the group's chief was killed, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.|publisher=Getty Images|date=26 December 2015|access-date=26 February 2025}} He was elected leader of Jaysh al-Islam after Zahran Alloush, the previous leader of the group, was killed in a Syrian Air Force air strike in December 2015.{{cite web|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/syrian-rebels-name-successor-to-slain-commander/|title=Syrian rebels name successor to slain commander|newspaper=The Times of Israel|date=26 December 2015|access-date=26 February 2025}}

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.{{Cite web|date=25 December 2024|accessdate=26 February 2025 |title=Sharaa Meets Leaders of Military Factions, Agree to Integrate Them Under Ministry of Defense |url=https://syrianobserver.com/security/sharaa-meets-leaders-of-military-factions-agree-to-integrate-them-under-ministry-of-defense.html |publisher=The Syrian Observer|website=Syria TV}} Buwaydhani then became an official in the defence ministry.

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.{{cite web |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250428-syria-group-says-military-chief-arrested-in-uae | title=Syria group says military chief arrested in UAE | work=France 24 | date=28 April 2025}}