** Qamishli: demonstrations and violence against Alawites in Syria **
On March 11, 2025, residents of Qamishli expressed their dissatisfaction in the streets, a surge of solidarity in the face of a new wave of violence targeting the Alawite community in northeast Syria. These demonstrations arise in a context of exacerbated community tensions, shortly after the discovery of five bodies of Alawites, allegedly executed briefly by the security forces. This tragic event reflects the fragility of precarious peace in a country still marked by the scars of a past conflict and recurring violence.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH) reported that these five young men had been arrested near Damascus, while they were just trying to go home after a working day. The assassination of these individuals, whose bodies were found at the Al-Moujtahid hospital, reveals the persistent dangers facing the minority communities, in particular in a country still in shock of a devastating civil war.
Alawites, members of a branch of Shiism, are distinguished in a predominantly Sunni Syrian context and have been targets of violence and discrimination, both in periods of peace and during conflicts. The exclusion of this minority has intensified since the fall of the regime of Bashar al-Assad, themselves descendants of the same community. With the emergence of armed brigades and Islamist groups which advocate a sectarian agenda, the Alawites found themselves corner in a cycle of vendetta and reprisals, which revives tensions deeply rooted in Syrian history.
The massacres that followed the clashes between the security forces and the faithful of former President Assad, who left more than 1,700 dead in March, underline a desperate quest for power, but also a desire to eradicate an identity perceived as oppressive by certain Sunni groups. And in this context, the promises of Ahmed al-Charaa, the new acting president, to form an independent commission of inquiry against violence are not enough to appease the fears of the Alawites and other minorities.
What solutions, then, can be considered to defuse this situation, which seems more explosive every day? The international community, while observing this dynamic with renewed attention, could play a crucial role in supporting initiatives of intercultural dialogue. By encouraging an inclusive dialogue between the different factions and communities, we could lay the foundations for long -term reconciliation.
Likewise, efforts must be made to strengthen state institutions so that they can guarantee the security of all communities, without distinction. Justice, far from being an instrument of revenge, should be the foundation of a new governance which includes all votes, including those of the often marginalized minorities.
It is also essential to involve local actors in discussions, as well as to encourage moderate voices within these communities, to prevent cries of hatred be the only echo in this plural society that constitutes Syria today.
The complex table of the situation in Qamishli and, more broadly, in Syria, is marked by a history of division, but also of resilience. The path to peace will require patience, empathy and a collective commitment to build a future where all identities can coexist. In this context, recent events cruelly recall how much vigilance is necessary to protect the rights of each citizen, regardless of their origin or their belief.