Published 12/09/2024 12:23
Political impasse is established in Syria after the advance of the rebel group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) over the country’s main cities removed President Bashar al-Assad, after 24 years in power. According to Russian news agencies, Assad fled this Sunday (8) to Russia, while the rebels try to bring stability to the country by taking strategic positions.
O The New York Times published that correspondents of the North American newspaper witnessed in recent days HTS militants taking positions in banks and public buildings and directing traffic in the capital Damascus.
The sudden campaign began thirteen days ago when the HTS group and allied rebel factions launched a major offensive in northwestern Syria. On the first day of December, the rebels forced government troops to retreat from Aleppo, the country’s main economic hub. Days later, on December 5, the city of Hama came under coalition control.
The country’s capital, Damascus, and the important city of Homs were conquered in the following days, between the 7th and 8th of December. The offensive that forced Assad into exile ended a 13-year civil war, but raised a series of uncertainties about the country’s future.
According to Reuters, the main rebel commander, Ahmed al-Sharaa, better known as Abu Mohammed al-Golanimet last weekend with Assad’s Prime Minister, Mohammed Jalali, and Vice President Faisal Mekdad to discuss the arrangements for a transitional government.
To the agency, sources from the Syrian central bank and two local banks stated that their branches will reopen this Tuesday (10) and that their employees have been instructed to return to their offices. The Syrian pound continues to be used in the country, they said.
The end of the civil war, which killed hundreds of thousands of people, triggered one of the biggest refugee crises in modern times and left cities in rubble, vast rural areas depopulated and the economy devastated by global sanctions.
Millions of refugees will finally be able to return home from camps in Türkiye, Lebanon and Jordan.
The fall of Assad eliminates one of the main anti-imperialist bastions in the Middle East and one of the main allies of Iran and Russia against the influence of the United States and its NATO allies in the region. Turkey, long aligned with Assad’s opponents, emerges strengthened, while Israel celebrates Assad’s demise as a result of its attacks against the former president’s Iranian-backed allies, such as Lebanese Hezbollah.
The Arab world, led by regional powers such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, now faces the challenge of reintegrating one of the Middle East’s central states even as they see it necessary to contain the radical Sunni Islam that fueled the anti-Assad uprising. , but it also turned into the sectarian violence of the Islamic State.
Meanwhile, the coalition of militias that overthrew the Assad government must face difficulties in maintaining political and military unity in the face of divergent objectives. Groups such as HTS, the Syrian National Army (SNA) and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have different views and interests, which could generate new internal conflicts.
Read also: After escalation of attacks, Bashar al-Assad resigns as president and leaves Syria
Itamaraty recommends that Brazilians leave Syria
Itamaraty decided to empty the Brazilian embassy in Damascus, capital of Syria, until the situation in the country stabilizes. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that the evacuation of Brazilian diplomats “is already underway” and should be completed in the next few hours.
Over the weekend, Itamaraty issued a statement expressing concern about the escalation of conflicts in Syria and advising Brazilians to leave the country. The Brazilian Foreign Ministry is still evaluating whether there will be a need to carry out a repatriation operation as was done in Gaza and Lebanon.
The Brazilian community in Syria is around 3,500 people, the majority of whom are children of Brazilians born in the country. To date, there have been few requests for consular assistance.
In a note released on Saturday (Dec 7, 2024), Itamaraty said it was following the escalation of hostilities in Syria with “concern” and called for maintaining the integrity of the population and civil infrastructure.
“Brazil reiterates the need for full respect for international law, including international humanitarian law, as well as Syrian territorial unity and the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council. Brazil supports efforts for a political and negotiated solution to the conflict in Syria, which respects the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”, says the text.
Source: vermelho.org.br
