Ahmed al Sharaa, better known as Abu Mohammad al-Golani has so far been saying the right things about the minorities but his actions proved the opposite . Government forces joined on multiple occasions the Sunni rebels who come from several Islamic counties in attacking the minorities in Syria. His vows so far to protect the minorities proved to be hollow words . Many believe his aim is to make Syria a Sunni country only. Many of the foreign rebels have reportedly been given Syrian citizenship
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa vowed Sunday that the fight to reunify his war-torn country must be achieved through dialogue, not bloodshed, while accusing Israel of fueling unrest in the south. His remarks came as hundreds protested in Sweida over recent Druze-Bedouin clashes and called for self-determination in the Druze-majority province.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has said the battle to unify his country after years of civil war “should not be with blood”, rejecting any partition and accusing Israel of meddling in the south.
His remarks, released by state TV on Sunday, came as thousands demonstrated in south Syria‘s Sweida province, denouncing sectarian violence last month and calling for the right to self-determination for the Druze-majority province.
“We still have another battle ahead of us to unify Syria, and it should not be with blood and military force… it should be through some kind of understanding because Syria is tired of war,” Sharaa said during a dialogue session involving notables from the northwest province of Idlib and other senior officials.
“I do not see Syria as at risk of division. Some people desire a process of dividing Syria and trying to establish cantons… this matter is impossible,” he said according to a recording of the meeting, distributed overnight by state media.
“Some parties seek to gain power through regional power, Israel or others. This is also extremely difficult and cannot be implemented,” he said.
At the protest in Sweida, some demonstrators waved the Israeli flag and called for self-determination for the region.
A week of bloodshed in Sweida began on July 13 with clashes between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin, but rapidly escalated, drawing in government forces, with Israel also carrying out strikes.
Syrian authorities have said their forces intervened to stop the clashes, but witnesses, Druze factions and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights have accused them of siding with the Bedouin and committing abuses against the Druze, including summary executions , kidnappings, theft and setting homes on fire
Sharaa said that Sweida “witnessed many violations from all sides… some members of the security forces and army in Syria also carried out some violations”.
The state is required “to hold all perpetrators of violations to account”, whatever their affiliation, he added.
Fear
According to Ghazi Hassan , a Syrian observer in Jebel al Arab , “More than a decade after the Syrian revolution began, a new chapter is being written—but instead of hope, it is soaked in fear, especially for Syria’s minority communities. The rise of a Sunni-majority leadership under al-Sharaa has brought not stability, but renewed anxiety. Minorities such as the Druze, Alawites, the Kurds and Christians—once wary of Assad but now terrified of what follows—are facing systematic violence and abandonment. Thousands have been killed since Sharaa , the former leader of al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front took over”
France 24/ AFP, YL