Trouble worsens in Syria as clashes break out

With the swift fall of the Bashar Al Assad regime in December, and the rather smooth transition to a government led by the anti-Assad forces, which is now led by Ahmed Al-Sharaa, it seemed that Syria was on the way to a period of peace and reconstruction.

One of the reasons for the assumption was that there was not much resistance from the Assad group, and the new government did not seem to look for enemies. The mood was one of reconciliation. It seems that the peaceful time has ended, and trouble erupted in the northwest region of Syria, which is dominated by the Alawite sect to which the Assads belong. The Syrian government says that violence erupted in the governorates of Latakia and Tartous.

The situation is delicate because it is not clear whether it is the pro-Assad forces that are fighting the government, or it is the Alawites as a sect who are fighting. If it is the pro-Assad forces, then they would be in a minority and they will not be able to sustain resistance.

But if it is a sectarian battle between the minority Shia sect of Alawites against the majority Sunnis, then it takes a different colour. It becomes a sectarian battle on religious lines, which would be more difficult to defuse.

Interim president Al-Sharaa has asked the Alawites to lay down arms. He said that it was an “unforgivable mistake” on the part of Alawites to have attacked the security forces. It is now reckoned that over 500 people have been killed, many of them civilians in the retaliation unleashed by the Syrian government.

The foreign ministries of Bahrain and Kuwait have condemned the anti-government forces in Syria for the violence. Kuwait News Agency cited a Kuwait foreign ministry statement saying, “Kuwait strongly condemns the crimes committed by outlaws in Syria and their targeting of security forces and state institutions.” Bahrain’s foreign ministry too condemned the attacks on government forces and described them as a bid “to destabilise security and civil peace”.

The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen said, “While the situation remains fluid and we are still determining the precise facts, there is clearly an immediate need for restraint from all parties, and full respect for the protection of civilians in accordance with international law.”

The new government in Syria had won support from many in the region. It has been restored its membership in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) after 13 years. It was suspended when civil war broke out in 2011.

The Syrian foreign ministry in its statement had said that the OIC’s decision “represents a vital step toward Syria’s return to the regional and international communities as a free and just state”. The post-Assad set-up wants to establish its credentials in the regional and global fora. So the clashes with the Alawite/pro-Assad forces come as a shocker.

The Alawite sources say that the government had been targeting the people in general of the Alawite community. So, the government has to tread the fine balance that the fight is not against the Alawites as such but against disruptive forces which are trying to attack the government.

Whatever the compulsions of the government as well as the Alawites, the Syrian people, including the Alawites, are looking for peace and stability. They do not want another round of futile violence. Both sides then have to reach out to each other, and come to an agreement. The Al-Sharaa government has not indulged in anti-Assad regime revenge moves. The complaint seems to be that the government had not talked to the Alawite leadership as it had with other minority groups like the Christians.