Violence in the Coastal region of Syria March 6th-10th
By WLC Parliamentarian and Leadership Council member, Ammar Abdulhamid.
Syria saw its largest outbreak of violence since the overthrow of the Assad regime on December 8th, 2024.
On March 6th members of pro-Assad groups attacked security forces (Hay’at Tahirir Al Sham fighters) belonging to the transitional government resulting in roughly 200 deaths. During the next four days as a result of military operations of retaliation and elimination of any Assad insurgents, the Syrian coast saw mass civilian deaths.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights estimates the overall civilian death toll to be roughly 803. These enormous human rights violations pose a grave danger to the stability of post-Assad Syria.
Sectarian Retaliatory violations
During this ‘military operation,’ a large number of different groups including foreign fighters who had been part of the rebellion against the Assad regime entered into the majority Alawite regions of Latakia, Tartus, and Hama. They are reported to have extrajudicially killed 803 civilians. These attacks were alarmingly sectarian and retaliatory in nature.
According to the Ministry of Defense, the factions that carried out these violations were only nominally affiliated with it. The violations included mass killings, attacks on protected groups (medical personnel, civilians, journalists, and humanitarian workers), extrajudicial killings, and executions. According to the UN Secretary General Summary killings of whole families also took place. These attacks have threatened both free media and humanitarian aid in the region according to the UN.
Syrian Government response
President Ahmad Al-Sharaa has stressed the importance of a unified Syria after 13 years of dictatorship and civil war, stating “We fought to defend the oppressed, and we won’t accept that any blood be shed unjustly, or goes without punishment or accountability, even among those closest to us.”
Al-Sharaa has created two independent committees following the violence, one to investigate and report on those responsible for the deaths within 30 days and the other to “preserve civil peace and reconciliation, because blood begets more blood.”By addressing mistakes and making steps towards gaining control over fighter groups Al-Sharaa is trying to prove he is a protector of all Syrians. However, due to the interconnectedness and complexity surrounding the armed groups, it is very hard to pinpoint individual responsibility regarding the violations.
What this means for Syria
Human rights organizations outside and within Syria have stressed that these killings are extremely alarming as they confirm the fear that the transitional government has poor central control of the armed groups and this could lead to dangerous rises of sectarian rhetoric and actions.
The international community has stressed the importance of protecting minority groups and working towards a democratic and united Syria. Al-Sharaa has shown commitment to creating this Syria, with a determination to end sanctions against the country and begin reconstruction, however, the violence and lack of control over foreign fighters and different groups pose a threat to this goal.
