In the wake of the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, questions are piling up about the challenges facing the Syrian people. What place will the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leave for other components of the Syrian political scene? How to avoid revenge operations? How to deal with foreign influences? All these questions concern the Syrians who celebrate the fall of Bashar al-Assad but who, on the one hand, also look with a certain concern at the unknown situation in which their country is plunged.
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In the first moments after the fall of the regime in Syriaa sense of urgency to experience the joy and freedom stifled for too many years seemed to dominate the Syrian people. Everyone chose to put aside their worries. “ I can finally say that I am Syrian and no longer a refugee! » says Lubna al Kanawati. The young feminist activist for the Women Now for Development association celebrates her rediscovered voice.
But in Syria, testimonies are already emerging from certain places where Islamist rebels are trying to impose dress codes on women. “Of course I’m afraid, finally recognizes Lubna al Kanawati. I am a feminist, my eyes will remain open to document any violation of human rights. But I refuse to let my worries stop me from celebrating this moment. We deserve to celebrate, but then we will continue to work, to testify to ensure that no one escapes justice, we know that there are still many people detained, people who suffer injustice. There are many Kurds who have been forcibly displaced, people who are afraid of what will happen. We need to make sure that all of this is taken care of. But the most important thing is that Assad no longer exists and we can now look for solutions,” she testifies.
Today, Abu Mohammed al-Joulanithe leader of the Hayat Tahrir al Sham movement, a former branch of Al-Qaeda, is the face of the revolution’s victory. It was he who launched the offensive from Idleb towards Aleppo, who led city after city to Damascus.
And it was also he who announced the formation of a transitional authority. 10 years ago, there was a dynamic of radicalization, Islamization and militarization of our movement imposed by the extreme violence of the regimeremembers the intellectual and political opponent Yassin al-Haj Saleh. Today, the dynamic is opposite. There is a certain level of deradicalization, of desectarization. “The man who spent 16 years in the regime’s jails, then whose wife was kidnapped by the rebel group Jaysh al-Islam, therefore wants to see ” a positive surprise » in recent events. “ I am sure we will face big problems in the futurehe admits, but at least the “forever” is over, and history is already being written. »
“It is the fight of an entire people who ended up winning their case »
The threat of an Islamist takeover is still very present in people’s minds. Mohammed-Nour Hayed was 9 years old in 2011. He participated in the demonstrations with his father, a secular activist for three years, before having to leave the country under threat from the regime, but also from Al-Qaeda and the State organization. Islamic. He admits that he is not ready to pack his bags to go home. “ We must not forget that after more than 10 years of war, the level of education has declined and mentalities have changed. I’m not just talking about religious practice, but really about people’s mentality. This is normal in times of war, everyone holds on to what they can. But in fact, today, the rhetoric promoted by Abu Mohamed al-Joulani, according to which the world is against Muslims, works on part of the population. It therefore remains a threat to Syria. »
For now, Mohammed-Nour Hayed wishes to recall that if it was Hayat Tahrir al-Sham who gave the impetus to this lightning offensive, its success goes to “the will of the Syrian people in all its components. HTS was one of the components of the northern military operating room, but there were others. But there were others, such as the southern military operations chamber, in the Druze regions. There was also the Chamber of Liberation of Damascus made up of residents who rose up to liberate the Capital. Even alongside the HTS, many people have joined them without necessarily sharing their values. It was the fight of an entire people who ended up winning their case. »
The unification of the country put to the test of Kurdish separatism
Another immediate obstacle to the reunification of the country is the autonomous region established in northeastern Syria by the Syrian Kurdish authorities. The Commander-in-Chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces Mazloum Abdi welcomed the “ fall of a dictator “, valuing “ an opportunity to build a new Syria based on democracy and justice for all Syrians. » But at the same time, on the ground, fighting pitted the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) against the Syrian National Army, a coalition of pro-Turkish rebels who participated in the offensive in its final days.
The latter finally took back the large city of Manbij from the Kurdish authorities. This is a conflict imported from Türkiye, deplores Yassin al-Haj Saleh. “ The Turkish government and the PKK have exported their civil war to Syria. I am not going to say that the pro-Turkish rebels are the same as the PYD (Syrian branch of the PKK which controls the FDS). The PYD may be a little better, but they are complicit in importing the Turkish war into Syria. They should be held responsible for this situation. But I don’t want this front to be open. We must find a political solution for all regions of Syria. »
Facing the Kurdish questionthe challenges are multiple. “ Certainly, the FDS today are beginning to speak of a desire to participate in national unity, recognizes Mohammed-Nour Hayed. Some of its components are deeply Syrian and want unity, but it cannot be denied that there is also the PKK which aspires to independence. Syrian Kurdistan, Rojava, aspires to autonomy such as it ended up obtaining under the Assad regime, but this time with civil rights. Kurds have always been deprived of their civil rights. There is a historical repair that must be made with regard to the Kurds so that this national unity can truly be achieved. »
Conversely, part of the Syrian population also considers themselves victims of Kurdish forces. The offensive led by Turkey in 2019 in Syria pushed them to reach an agreement with the regime. They are also accused of having committed abuses against Arab families in the areas they control, pushing them into exile. This is therefore one of the many dilemmas that the long-awaited transitional authority will have to face to initiate the new phase of the revolution towards stabilization.
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