The uprising against ruler Bashar al-Assad began twelve years ago. Today Syria is on the ground – and the violence never ends.
They took to the streets because they were fed up with oppression. The population of the Syrian city of Daraa did not want to accept that 15 of their children had been arrested and tortured simply for writing slogans against the regime on the walls. Protests in Daraa on March 15, 2011 mark the beginning of the uprising against Syria’s ruler, Bashar al-Assad. Today, twelve years later, the country is on the ground. It is divided into the spheres of power of individual parties and their international sidekicks. Although the intensity of the fighting has subsided, the war is not over. And hope for a quick and lasting solution to the conflict is slim.
The brutal ruler Assad
As protests spread to more and more cities in 2011, Assad sent in the military to break resistance. The opposition armed themselves – and fired back. The demonstrations turned into a particularly vicious war: half a million people were killed and more than 13 million were displaced.
First, more and more areas escaped the regime. But today Assad has restored his rule in large parts of the country. It was also able to do this thanks to its allies: Russia’s Air Force intervened on the side of the regime in 2015. And Iran sent elite units to support Assad along with Hezbollah fighters from Lebanon. Israel’s air force repeatedly launches attacks against them.
Assad is back in control of large parts of Syria. Portal
Today, Assad rules an area that has been hit hard by the war. Its artillery and Russian air force wreaked havoc by capturing cities such as Aleppo and the suburbs of Damascus. In the capital itself, as well as in other areas where there have been no clashes, life today seems peaceful. But the oppression has not changed. Anyone seen by the regime as an opponent disappears into one of the many torture chambers. There is also an economic crisis and runaway inflation.
The Last Bastion of the Opposition
The humanitarian situation in the region around Idlib in northwest Syria is even more devastating. It is here that the opposition has its last major stronghold. The area is largely isolated, international organizations were only allowed to transport long-term relief supplies through a single border crossing. Several million people who fled here from Assad live in the area, some in tents. In recent months, the area has been hit by a cholera epidemic and has now also been hit hard by the earthquake disaster.
After years of war, the people of northwest Syria were also hit hard by the earthquake. APA/AFP/ABDULAZIZ KETAZ
In addition, there are repeated skirmishes between hostile rebel units in the opposition area. Islamists in particular are up to mischief here, like the former Nusra Front, which has since broken away from al-Qaeda. The patron saint of the area is Turkey. She reached an agreement with Assad and his ally Russia to avoid a regime offensive against Idlib. But Russia and the regime continue to attack from the air.
Northern Syria self-government
In the turmoil of war, Syria’s Kurds initially took control of their settlement areas. With US help, Kurdish fighters and their Arab allies finally destroyed the so-called Islamic State’s “caliphate”. Along with Arabs and other groups, they have proclaimed autonomous self-government in northern and eastern Syria – which is now the second-largest territory after Assad’s rule.
A fighter from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the autonomous military. Portal
Turkey describes the entire self-government as an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party PKK and has carried out several ground offensives against the area with allied Syrian militias. The Turkish air force, in particular, is currently carrying out strikes. At the same time, IS is stepping up its attacks.