The Franco-Syrian researcher Bassma Kodmani, figurehead of the Syrian peaceful opposition, died in Paris at the age of 64.
She would have been 65 in April. Born in Damascus in 1958, the daughter of a seasoned Syrian diplomat who had spent time in the opposition, Bassma Kodmai had spent most of her life in exile. She died in Paris, following a long illness.
” She fought the disease with admirable courage and determination. Bassma was a passionate intellectual and a committed activist for her beloved Syria and the Arab region in general, which she aspired to see free and prosperous. “, reacted on Facebook Nadim Houry, the director of the Arab Reform Initiative, which Bassma Kodmani had founded in 2005.
” I was always pessimistic and she was always optimistic “, testified on RFI Salam Kawakibi. Also Syrian, he worked with Bassma Kodmani within this consortium of research institutes from the Arab world working in partnership with European and American institutes on issues of reform and democratic transition in the Arab world. ” Despite the blows and the disappointment, she always kept hope, she always invented projects “, he recalls again.
► Also to listen: Bassma Kodmani: “Assad is only a shadow of himself”
Shortly after the outbreak of the peaceful uprising in Syria in March 2011, the political scientist co-founded the Syrian National Council (CNS), which from her exile intended to propose a political alternative to the regime of Bashar el-Assad. She had been in charge of external relations and spokesperson for this main body, before the uprising degenerated into an armed conflict. The opponent had finally left the CNS, undermined by tensions. ” Some, who had a very macho culture, very badly accepted the leadership of a woman who was received by presidents, ministers… Everything created a certain jealousy », Says Salam Kawakibi again.
Bassma Kodmani had also participated from 2016 in the delegation of Syrian opposition negotiators which met in Geneva with representatives of the regime under the auspices of the UN. Known for her calm and her diplomacy, she was often quoted by the Western media and welcomed on television sets.
The researcher was for 15 years head of the Middle East program at the French Institute of International Relations (Ifri) and program director for the Middle East and North Africa at the Ford Foundation in Cairo. She has also collaborated with the Collège de France, and joined the prestigious Institut Montaigne in Paris in 2021. She is the author of numerous books, including The Palestinian Diaspora And Tearing down the walls, the Arabs and their fears.
(And with AFP)