This Wednesday marks the 12th anniversary of the start of anti-government protests against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which ended in a violent civil war in this Middle Eastern country. In the streets of Idlib, in the hands of the opposition, hundreds of demonstrators gathered who continue to protest against Al-Assad. Meanwhile, the president met in Moscow with one of his powerful allies, Russian President Vladimir Putin.
This Wednesday thousands of Syrians took to the streets in Idlib, the last major opposition stronghold, to commemorate the 12th anniversary of the first protests against President Bashar al-Assad, which resulted in the subsequent brutal government repression and a bloody civil war. which is still going on.
The conflict has left more than 500,000 dead, some 13 million displaced, a deep economic crisis and a large-scale famine warning. Half of the country is on the verge of facing food insecurity, according to the UN World Food Program, due to the strong earthquake that struck the country along with Turkey on February 6.
One of the attendees at the demonstrations, Salma Seif, said that along with others she was one of those who participated in the protests, she reiterated her resistance against the Al-Assad government.
“We are here today, on the occasion of the twelfth anniversary, to bring to the world the message that we stand by the demands that motivated our movement in the beginning and to let the world know about the oppression we have faced, from detention to displacement and murders,” said the protester.
Seif, who claimed to belong to an association of 175 women survivors of detention, added: “We will not back down and we will not allow any politician in this world, no matter how hard they try to normalize ties with the regime, to force us to drop our demands.” .
Another of the protesters, Abou Chahid, said they went to Idlib from different provinces to “commemorate the anniversary of the revolution.”
“We are proud to have crossed the barrier of fear and to have stood up to the crimes of Bashar al-Assad. We do not care about the statements made abroad. The final choice depends on the people,” he added.
Two banners attached to the facade of a building in the city’s main square read: “The people demand the fall of the regime” and “Freedom and dignity for all Syrians.”
Some four million people live in these areas that are out of control of Damascus, the Syrian capital. According to estimates, half are displaced.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that there was a similar but less crowded protest in the town of Afrin. The agency indicated that there were also other demonstrations in at least two points outside of Idlib and Aleppo.
Repression spreads in Syria
At the end of 2022 in Deraa and Al Sueida there were symbolic protests against the Al-Assad government, one of them ended in a disruption in the City Hall of the capital of Al Sueida and left at least two dead.
These demonstrations take place with little regularity due to the strong repression of the pro-government troops that appease any movement against the president.
Twelve years after the outbreak of the protests, there are still violent clashes in the town of Deraa between Iranian and Lebanese militias that are allies of the Government and the jihadist group Islamic State.
Assad and his renewed relations with Putin
Following the onset of the violent civil war that began after the 2011 riots, several leaders of the Arab world broke ties or distanced themselves from Bashar al-Assad. A situation that could be reversing, since the Syrian president began a diplomatic tour of different countries a few weeks ago. This Thursday he was in Moscow with President Vladimir Putin.
In the meeting between the two leaders, Bashar al-Assad, stated that he supported the Russian invasion of Ukraine, since, according to what he maintained, Russia is fighting against “neo-Nazis” and “old Nazis” in Ukraine, whom the West had welcomed. and gave them support. Assad did not offer any kind of evidence.
The military support that Moscow has given to Damascus helped it to turn around the civil war that sought democracy. Precisely, Putin stressed at the meeting the “decisive contribution” of the Russian Army to stabilize the country.
The Kremlin has launched a military campaign in Syria since September 2015, and has partnered with Iran. An alliance that had the object of Al-Assad fighting against the opposition and thus being able to regain control of most of the country.
Although Russia has its eyes on Ukraine, in Syria it maintains fighter jets and troops at military bases.
Syria would return to the Arab League
In addition to renewing relations with Moscow, Bashar al-Assad re-established relations with other Arab countries after the earthquake.
Tunisia says it hopes to resume ties with Syria soon. Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of Egypt and Jordan held meetings with Assad for the first time since 2011.
Top lawmakers agreed at a summit in Baghdad to end Syria’s political isolation.
For Saudi Arabia, there is a consensus among the Arab League countries to restore Syria’s membership, which had also been suspended in 2011.
With this reconciliation, Damascus intends to unlock part of the funds to rebuild the country after the earthquakes.
Qatar, which is a big supporter of the Syrian opposition, wants Assad to make concessions to his detractors in order to take a step towards reconciliation.
In any case, the United States and the European Union oppose the release of sanctions, since the UN Security Council expects Damascus to implement resolution 2254, adopted in 2015 as a road map for peace in the country of Middle East.
According to the resolution, Al-Assad must undergo a new political process, which would begin with the formation of a new transitional government. He will also have to write a new Constitution and call elections that must be supervised by the UN.
With Reuters, EFE and AP
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