Syria’s Hama full of ‘hope, joy’ one year after al-Assad forces’ exit

Thousands person taken to the streets successful the cardinal city, celebrating a caller Syria escaped of al-Assad’s reign.

Thousands of radical person poured into the streets of Syria’s cardinal metropolis of Hama to people 1 twelvemonth since forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad were expelled days earlier the longtime ruler’s ouster.

The ambiance successful the metropolis – agelong a stronghold of absorption to al-Assad – is 1 of “hope and belief” successful Syria’s future, reported Al Jazeera’s Assed Baig from Hama’s al-Assi Square.

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“As acold arsenic I tin spot connected balconies connected roofs, radical are retired celebrating this day,” said Baig. “They’re waving flags, they’re chanting slogans, they’re singing, and there’s anticipation for the future.”

On December 5, 2024, rebels led by Syria’s now-President Ahmed al-Sharaa took power of Hama, marking their 2nd breakthrough successful a lightning violative towards the capital. Days later, they captured Damascus, ending al-Assad’s 24-year reign and his family’s dynasty, arsenic helium fled to Russia.

Al-Assad’s autumn carries peculiar value successful Hama, which successful 1982 suffered a brutal crackdown nether his father, erstwhile President Hafez al-Assad.

In quelling an uprising there, authorities forces besieged and bombed the city, portion rounding up and shooting young men and boys. The Syrian Network for Human Rights estimates that betwixt 30,000 and 40,000 people, including full families, were killed.

‘People are joyous’

Baig said today’s ambiance successful Hama is markedly antithetic from erstwhile helium past visited 2 decades ago.

“Back then, radical would whisper, determination was a consciousness of fearfulness that the incorrect word, the incorrect sentence, could origin you to extremity up successful trouble, disappeared to the authorities forces’ situation oregon possibly adjacent worse,” helium said. “Now radical are happy, celebrating, joyous.”

Syria’s caller leader, al-Sharaa, who erstwhile led al-Qaeda’s subdivision successful Syria and past the splinter radical Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, has made a stunning turnaround since taking the reins of the country, mostly restoring Syria’s planetary lasting and securing critical sanctions relief.

Serving arsenic president for a five-year transitional period, al-Sharaa has toured capitals from the Gulf to Europe to Washington, and this week hosted a delegation from the United Nations Security Council successful Syria.

In September, helium was the archetypal Syrian person to code the United Nations General Assembly successful six decades.

‘New chapter’

But determination are concerns astir continuing sectarian bloodshed successful Syria’s Alawite and Druze number heartland, which immoderate authorities forces and their allies person been implicated successful and faced proceedings for.

Clashes and reprisals targeting the Alawite community, from which al-Assad hails, killed much than 1,700 radical successful March, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor.

Then, further clashes successful southbound Syria’s Druze-majority Suwayda state near hundreds much dormant successful July, including galore Druze civilians, according to the monitor.

Israel intervened, nether the pretext of protecting the Druze, and bombed the southbound and Damascus. It continues to transportation retired deadly incursions and strikes successful Syria to this day. Last week, astatine slightest 13 people, including children, were killed arsenic Israel launched different incursion into Syrian territory successful the Damascus countryside, successful Beit Jinn.

Nanar Hawach, a elder Syria expert astatine the International Crisis Group, said “Syria has opened a caller section that galore erstwhile thought impossible” by rebuilding diplomatic ties and drafting overseas investment. But “international rehabilitation means small if each Syrians don’t consciousness harmless walking their ain streets”.

Gamal Mansour, a researcher astatine the University of Toronto, says that galore Syrians, terrified of the imaginable chaos a powerfulness vacuum could unleash, inactive presumption al-Sharaa arsenic “the lone enactment that provides guarantees”.

In al-Hama, Baig says there’s anticipation “the authorities volition beryllium capable to present … unity and state for each Syrians.”