Click to see the full-size image
While the fall of the Assad regime has brought the conflict in Syria closer to its end, violence continues in the war-torn country with a surge in crimes and reports of violations by the new authorities.
Late on December 22, the town of al-Bahlouliyah in the western Latakia countryside saw a protest after violations by gunmen claiming to be a part of the Military Operation Directory (MOD), the armed forces of the new government.
The gunmen reportedly broke into a house in the town and harassed a girl in two separate incidents. The locals then gathered and surrounded the gunmen and demanded their withdrawal. The problem was resolved later as a delegation of the MOD arrived in the town and withdrew the gunmen.
Also over the night of December 22 and 23, clashes broke out in the town of Manbij between local tribesmen and fighters from the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA).
The clashes began after the locals accused some SNA fighters of abducting and sexually assaulting a seven-year-old girl. In the days leading to the clashes, there were many reports of robberies and murders by different factions of the SNA which recently captured the town from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
Back to Lattakia countryside, a group of gunmen stormed on December 23 a resort in al-Qardahah, the hometown of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The gunmen stole several vehicles. The incident led to an outrage among the locals who demanded the MOD to end such violations.
Meanwhile in the northern Hama countryside, a protest broke out in the Christian town of al-Suqaylabiyah after a large Christmas tree was set on fire in the main square. The locals accused fighters from the MOD of setting the tree on fire.
All in all, the new government in Syria, led by the Islamist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, is still struggling to secure the country as well as to gain the trust of the locals, especially minorities.
While the government may be honest, it will certainly face many many challenges from the widespread use of weapons to its inability to control some radical elements. Considering these factors, the future of Syria appears to be uncertain and the conflict may be far from being over.
