Syrian civilians caught in crossfire as world stays silent

Only three months on from the formation of the new Syrian government led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, civilians continue to suffer at the hands of both the new government and pro-Assad forces.

240 people, including civilians, were killed by new government forces on  March 7th, according to the SOHR, the largest conflict in Syria since the fall of Assad.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) overthrew Assad on December 8, 2024, garnering greater optimism from the international community that, with Assad removed, Syria could start to seek an end to the 14-year civil war. Figures such as Sir Keir Starmer expressed their best wishes for the collapse of the old regime.

However, with Assad loyalists still active in the country, the new government has made a stand to end any lingering threat by the old government.

This has led to a clash on March 6 in the Northwest of Syria as militants loyal to the Assad government ambushed Syrian security forces in a rural area of Latakia province. The province is a stronghold of the previous leader and the Alawite Islamic sect, which is a Syrian minority group that Assad was a part of.

By March 7, al-Sharaa called on the armed groups to lay down their arms “before it’s too late” and added that those loyal to the new government should avoid attacking civilians or abusing prisoners.

Yet these sentiments have fallen in vain as the Ministry of Defence and the Internal security forces (MOD) of the government, according to SOHR, have been responsible for civilian deaths.

This includes the killing of 10 women and 5 children in the city of Baniyas by MOD. This case is not the only one involving civilians as 7 others have died in Al-Hafa Village in Latakia along with other incidents.

The Guardian has also reported videos of unarmed men being executed; however, they have not been able to verify the videos.

According to Sky News, SOHR chief Rami Abdurrahman said on the gunmen loyal to the government: “They killed every man they encountered.”

Currently, there is a lack of a focused response by governments to condemn the atrocities which are taking place in the west of Syria.

Response has come from the UN special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen. “There is clearly an immediate need for restraint from all parties, and full respect for the protection of civilians in accordance with international law,” Pedersen said in a statement.

This has been one of so few responses in the western world to condemn the deaths of civilians and to specifically condemn the new government’s actions.

Rather, in recent days, the UK government has reduced sanctions on the Syrian government and third parties such as the Central Bank of Syria on March 6.

It appears that there is hope by many in the west that the new government can move away from the human rights violations that took place under Assad.

When the new government took over, the likes of Angela Rayner said they “welcome the news” of the fall of the Assad regime and that we “need to see civilians and infrastructure protected.”

Yet the government, which was happy to see a new government, has not done anything but lower sanctions with regards to the new government, with now the civilian deaths and their protections being violated in the last few days.

The lack of clear condemnation of these actions and the issues taking place in the country makes Syria a clear chance for governments such as the UK to test their human rights commitment and use their international powers and pressure to help give the Syrian people true safety.

With the new government under al-Sharaa, it appears that no matter who is in power, there are two sides, and the civilians of Syria will continue to suffer.

SOHR, Guardian, Sky News, United Nations