Arya News - Crowds thronged into public squares in Syria’s largest cities to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the fall of the Assad regime, as new president Ahmad al-Sharaa pledged to lead the country to new heights.
Crowds thronged into public squares in Syria ’s largest cities to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the fall of the Assad regime , as new president Ahmad al-Sharaa pledged to lead the country to new heights.
“Victory is only the beginning,” he said in a speech from the presidential palace in Damascus to mark the anniversary.
“Let’s turn this victory into a responsibility manifested in hard work to take our country [to] the forefront among the leading countries worldwide,” said the man who was warmly welcomed by Donald Trump in the White House in November.
According to a translation by Al Jazeera, Mr al-Sharaa declared “a complete break from that legacy, an end to that era”, referring to the end of more than 50 years of brutal rule by the Assad family , and pledged “the beginning of a new chapter – the chapter of building the nation”.
Ahmad al-Sharaa speaks after the dawn prayer at the Umayyad Mosque - Anadolu via Getty
Earlier in the day, the Syrian leader called for a “strong and just” Syria in brief remarks after participating in dawn prayers at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus.
This time last year Mr al-Sharaa led a remarkable offensive beginning on Nov 27, taking city after city in Syria in a stunning operation that lasted just 12 days.
His sweep to power across the country was completed when his rebel troops entered the capital of Damascus and now-ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad, his family and loyalists fled to Russia .
A festive mood swept across major cities on Monday, with people setting off fireworks and firecrackers, honking their horns and waving the new Syrian flag – green, white and black with three stars.
Ahmad al-Sharaa salutes crowds in Damascus as they marked the first anniversary of the ousting of Assad - Omar Sanadiki/AP
Impromptu marches sprung up in the streets of Homs, with drums banging and trumpets blaring.
Syrians were happy to see foreign journalists roaming – yet another sign that their country was indeed opening up to the world after years of sanctions with pariah leader Assad at the helm.
Since coming to power and having been installed as the country’s interim president, Mr al-Sharaa has faced numerous challenges to rehabilitate the nation – at home and abroad.
He has lobbied heavily for global sanctions to be removed so that the country can begin rebuilding its infrastructure and economy that has been ravaged by 14 years of civil war .
Women gather for the celebrations in Homs - Eduardo Soteras
But those in the streets on Monday spoke highly of the progress Syria has made after a year under Mr al-Sharaa’s leadership.
“Every country, every new state that begins has to start from scratch, from zero; but we started from below scratch,” Ahmed al-Hajj, 28, a former rebel fighter who fought with Mr al-Sharaa and is now a soldier in the new Syrian military, told The Telegraph in Damascus.
Mr al-Sharaa, too, has sought to heal the nation, “listening to people’s concerns and grievances”, including meeting with survivors of the Assad regime’s horrific chemical weapons attacks, Mr al-Hajj added.
“Because of al-Sharaa, Syria is not isolated anymore; we can speak with the Saudis, the UK, the US,” said Toafiq Ali Diab, 46, the sole survivor in his family from a 2018 chemical attack on his hometown, Douma.
“Bashar al-Assad imprisoned us on our own land and isolated us from the world,” he said, in an interview in Douma. But “we regained our value and standing in the world because of al-Sharaa”.
That standing will be important as Syria seeks to negotiate a deconfliction agreement with Israel, brokered by the US.
The crowds turned out in force in Homs - Eduardo Soteras
Over the weekend, Mr al-Sharaa accused Israel of exporting crises to other countries and “fighting ghosts”, given persistent incursions and air strikes by the Israeli military on Syrian soil, including in the capital of Damascus.
He’s been seeking US support to stop Israeli attacks from the beginning of his leadership.
Even when the Syrian revolution began in 2011, Iman, 37, a mother of five, said she never could have dared to dream of a free Syria – let alone a whole year of freedom.
“Never! I always believed that Assad would never step down; the regime instilled such fear and desperation inside us,” she said, celebrating in the streets of Homs, which is known as the “cradle of the revolution”, as the city was where Syrian rebels first began organising.
“It’s one year after our country was liberated. Still, some people can’t believe that it really happened, but it really happened!”
A man holding a Syrian flag in the city of Ar Rastan is in reflective mood - Eduardo Soteras
While much of the country was rejoicing, coastal cities of Syria, such as Latakia – heartland of the Alawites, the ethnoreligious sect of the Assad family – had more muted commemorations.
The Alawites are one of the minority groups in Syria – a richly diverse nation – and many are worried whether the new Syrian nation being built will be as inclusive in practice as Mr al-Sharaa has pledged.
Deadly bouts of sectarian violence in March along the country’s western coast in Alawite-populated areas, and in the summer in the south where the Druze , a religious sect, primarily live, have raised concerns about Mr al-Sharaa’s ability to unify the nation.
There is still a lot rebuilding to do after the fight to free Syria from Assad - Eduardo Soteras
Anniversary celebrations were even banned in the northeast of Syria, populated mostly by Kurds, an ethnic group .
Building bridges with these various groups is one of the challenges that Mr al-Sharaa will have to tackle going forward.
Critics have called for presidential elections to determine whether Mr al-Sharaa ought to remain interim president at this crucial moment, though supporters say the massive crowds in the streets on the anniversary reflect strong popular sentiment in his favour.
Other challenges that Mr al-Sharaa faces include the monumental task of rebuilding homes and infrastructure, given vast destruction from the war – entire city neighbourhoods were reduced to rubble over the years.
Men gather round a clock in Homs to party on the anniversary day - Eduardo Soteras
He will also need to boost the domestic economy, and find ways to hold the Assad regime accountable for its bloody legacy.
Justice “is the day we dream of, for Assad to be returned to us from Russia”, and to be held to account for his horrific war crimes, said Mr Ali Diab, the survivor of the chemical weapons attack.
Huda al-Shami, 58, is glad to leave behind the dark days of the regime, whose constant attacks killed her husband in 2013, leaving behind a maimed corpse.
“We only found his severed hand the next day,” she recalled. “It was in another place.”
A balloon seller promoting joy is a stark contrast to the scenes of destruction in Syria - Eduardo Soteras
She hopes that Mr al-Sharaa will focus on improving the economy in his upcoming second year as president.
“Everything is expensive; we can’t buy anything we need. We need many things, but we cannot afford them,” she said.
Still, Ms al-Shami, an English teacher in Homs, was overjoyed to have lived to see this day, and to celebrate the anniversary.
“Happiness, laughter, love,” she said. “Unbelievable – it’s like a dream for this whole last year!”
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