The Syrian civil war that began with protests against the Assad regime in 2011, by 2022 appeared to have been largely won by the government, after six million Syrians had fled abroad, five million remain internally displaced, and a half-million civilians have been killed. But now there is another flareup of discontent with the government, centered on the Druze-populated province of Sweida. More on this latest expression of popular fury can be found here: “Druze protests expose the Assad regime’s Achilles’ heel – opinion,” by Jonathan Spyer, Jerusalem Post, September 2, 2023:
Large-scale protests against the regime of President Bashar Assad have entered their second week in southern Syria. The protests originated in – and are focused on – the majority Druze province of Sweida. However, other parts of the country have also witnessed protests and strikes.
The Druze do not consider themselves to be Muslims. There are 600,000 Druze in Syria and 143,000 Druze in Israel, 25,000 of whom live on the strategically vital Golan Heights. Some of those Druze in the Golan have accepted Israeli citizenship and are loyal to the Jewish state; others have continued to be at least outwardly loyal to Syria, mainly because they have relatives in Syria and don’t wish to jeopardize those relatives’ relations with the regime, and others because they worry that if, in the future, Syria might win back their villages in a settlement with Israel, they could face retribution from Damascus.
Among these areas is Deraa province, which adjoins Sweida, and where the original demonstrations that sparked the Syrian civil war took place in early 2011. Rallies have also taken place in Jarama, areas of Idlib Province, neighborhoods of eastern Aleppo, and in the coastal Latakia Province, host to a large Alawi population – and often considered the heartland and cradle of Assad’s rule.
It must be a great worry to the regime that protests against it have erupted in Deraa Province, which is where protests in 2011 set off the civil war, and that the protests have now spread to other provinces, including Latakia, which is peopled largely by Alawis, and has always been thought of as the “heartland” of the Assad family’s rule.
In Sweida, the demonstrations are focused on Karamah Square in Sweida City, the capital of the province. According to the pro-opposition Syria TV, the protesters have closed down the Ba’ath Party headquarters in the city, along with a number of other state institutions. The channel reported that partial roadblocks have been set up in a number of areas of the province, including Majadel, Shahba, Mardak, al-Hawya, and Arman.
Protesters have chanted well-known slogans associated with the early period of the Syrian uprising, such as “The people demand the downfall of the regime,” and “The Syrian people are one.” Other slogans raised at Karamah Square – according to opposition sources – include “Against the dominance of Iran and its allies,” and “A political solution is more than just a constitutional Committee.” The latter slogan refers to the moribund diplomatic process regarding the Syrian conflict.
The slogans are the same that were used early in the original uprising against Bashar Assad’s regime in 2011. Among them has been a call for “the downfall of the regime” and another protesting against “the dominance of Iran.” These must be greatly worrisome to the regime, which had assumed the civil war was largely over (save in Idlib Province), and Assad had clearly won.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, also opposition-linked but with an established record of reliability, reported on August 25 that more than 4,000 people from across Sweida province took part in demonstrations in recent days.
The Observatory noted that “clerics and a large proportion of women” took part in the demonstrations, and reported that protesters demanded “the implementation of Resolution 2254 and the overthrow of the regime and its head, Bashar Assad.” Reuters, meanwhile, reported that most public institutions and the public transport system were on strike as of this week, in the city of 100,000 residents.
It is notable that despite the revolutionary slogans reported, photographic evidence that has emerged from the protests indicates that the main banner being raised by protesters is the green, red, yellow, blue, and white Druze flag, although the Syrian independence flag, which became the banner of the Syrian rebels, can also be seen here and there….
Within the ranks of the recent protest there are two distinct strands. One consists of those most exercised by the economic situation — 90% of Syrians now live below the poverty line. Their protest was set off by the government’s decision to remove subsidies on gasoline and on heating oil. The second consists of Druze separatists, waving the Druze flag, who are incensed both at the economic situation, and at their treatment by the Muslim government. Some of them no doubt cast an envious eye on the situation of their fellow Druze in Israel, including those on the Golan.
It was established in the province of Latakia on Syria’s west coast. The Assads themselves hail from the village of Qardaha, in Latakia province. It is a place usually associated with staunch support for the regime rather than agitation against it. According to a report by Reuters on Monday, security measures in Latakia have been tightened amid growing calls for strikes and protests. The wire service quoted Kenan Waqaf, a well-known journalist from the province….
It must come as a shock to Bashar Assad that the civil disobedience campaign of the newly-formed 10th of August movement began in Latakia, which is where the Assad family comes from, and has always counted on as its unshakeable base of support.
During the civil war, the main opposition against Assad consisted of Sunni Arabs whose ranks, as the war continued, became dominated by jihadists, hostile not just to Assad and the Shi’a Alawites, but also to the non-Muslim Druze. This caused the Druze to support the regime, for fear of what would happen to them if an increasingly Islamic opposition were to topple Assad and take power. As a concession to the Druze, the regime allowed Druze in the Syrian military to serve in Sweida Province.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
The Druze are essentially bellweather groups as to who’s likely to be successful in power struggles, and have a knack of predicting the winner/”strong horse”. So if they are uneasy w/ the Assad regime, that would seem to spell trouble. But I think the real threat to Assad is likely to come from Turkey backed groups: I don’t see the likes of Saudi Arabia or Qatar trying to topple him
One way the Druze are lucky – unlike the Kurds, they don’t border Turkey, or have a large population in Turkey that could cause any separatism movements