With flags and fireworks, Syrians celebrate one year since fall of al-Assad

Syrians person taken to the streets to observe the archetypal day of the removal of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad amid renewed optimism that conditions volition proceed to amended arsenic the state recovers from the effects of astir 14 years of war.

Fireworks rang out, and flags dotted cities crossed the state connected Monday, marking one year since the al-Assad dynasty fell aft a lightning 11-day violative by absorption forces ended its 53-year rule.

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Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa, wearing a subject uniform, performed the dawn supplication astatine the Umayyad Mosque successful Damascus aboriginal successful the greeting to people the anniversary.

In a code aft the prayers, al-Sharaa pledged to rebuild Syria.

“No 1 volition basal successful our way, nary substance however large oregon almighty they are, and nary obstacles volition basal successful our way. We volition look each challenges, God willing,” said al-Sharaa, who led the absorption forces that connected December 8, 2024 seized the capital, Damascus.

“From its northbound to its southbound and from its eastbound to its west, we volition rebuild a beardown Syria with a operation befitting its contiguous and its past, and we volition rebuild it to enactment the oppressed and to found justness among the people.”

Military parades organised by the Defence Ministry took spot successful Damascus and crossed respective provinces, including successful Hama, Homs and Deir Az Zor.

‘Only a portion of the imagination came true’

Over the past year, the caller authorities has taken steps to supply basal services to citizens.

A statesmanlike decree successful June raised civilian servants’ minimum monthly salaries.

Repair and attraction enactment began connected the country’s powerfulness grid, with large cities including Aleppo, Homs and Damascus receiving uninterrupted 24-hour energy connected a proceedings ground for the archetypal clip successful 15 years.

Prisons that near acheronian marks connected the Syrian public, including Sednaya, the Mezzeh subject prison, and Khatib, were besides permanently closed.

But portion the mood successful the federation is joyous, with radical celebrating connected the streets, chanting, singing and waving flags, “there’s a batch of enactment to beryllium done”, said Al Jazeera’s Assed Baig, reporting from Aleppo.

The city, which was divided until 2016 betwixt absorption fighters and pro-Assad forces, took a “real battering” that volition “cost billions of dollars to rebuild and restore”, helium said.

“That’s wherefore the authorities is looking to planetary partners for investment, to assistance with the rebuilding of this country, particularly Aleppo, due to the fact that the warring present was truthful fierce,” said Baig.

Meanwhile, millions of refugees and members of the diaspora are weighing the determination to instrumentality location and rebuild their lives aft the autumn of al-Assad, who fled to Russia a twelvemonth ago.

The warfare started arsenic a mostly unarmed uprising against al-Assad successful March 2011, but rapidly morphed into a full-blown struggle that killed hundreds of thousands of people. It also led to 1 of the world’s largest migration crises, with immoderate 6.8 cardinal Syrians, astir a 3rd of the population, fleeing the state astatine the war’s highest successful 2021, seeking refuge wherever they could find it.

More than 782,000 Syrians person returned to Syria from different countries implicit the past year, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Despite the emergence successful returns, constricted occupation opportunities and precocious surviving costs proceed to undermine semipermanent resettling. Housing remains unaffordable for many, leaving returnees successful damaged homes oregon costly rental units.

Young radical successful Syria are peculiarly hopeful astir change, but the request for much jobs and the system to kickstart is urgent.

“Only a portion of the imagination came true,” pupil Maha Khalil told Al Jazeera.

“We person victory, but we mislaid years, homes, children. The existent communicative begins now. We anticipation we volition rebuild, but the younker are reasoning to spell abroad. And those who are overseas are acrophobic of coming back.”

Focus inward

Syria received planetary enactment connected its anniversary, with UN main Antonio Guterres reaffirming the organisation’s committedness to guarantee the occurrence Syria’s governmental transition.

“On this anniversary, we basal agreed successful intent – to physique a instauration of bid and prosperity and renew our pledge to a free, sovereign, agreed and inclusive Syria,” helium said.

Heiko Wimmen, International Crisis Group’s task manager for Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon, told Al Jazeera that portion the planetary legitimisation of al-Sharaa has “been a spectacular success”, his authorities indispensable present displacement its regard inwards.

The authorities should chiefly absorption connected rebuilding the system aft the lifting of planetary sanctions, “which takes time, due to the fact that superior and investments are cautious, arsenic they should be”, Wimmen said.

It should besides “revive governmental life”, helium added.

For years, Syria’s leaders were programmed to “monopolise power”, an attack that volition nary longer enactment arsenic they effort to fold each citizens into the governmental mix.

“Everybody successful Syria needs to beryllium convinced that, successful the state that’s being built, they’ll person a accidental successful however it’s being built – and a place,” Wimmen said.