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Syria witnessed another episode of sectarian violence on November 24 after the killing of a Bedouin couple triggered retaliatory attacks against the Alawite community in the central governorate of Homs.
The man and his wife, both from the Bani Khalid Bedouin tribe, were found killed in their home in the town of Zaidal in the eastern Homs countryside early in the day, with the woman’s body partially burned and sectarian-charged graffiti found at the scene.
Quickly after the news spread out, armed Bedouins carried out retaliatory attacks against Alawites in Homs city, storming al-Muhajirin and other neighborhoods where members of the community reside. Authorities announced an investigation into the crime in Zaidal and deployed troops in the city in an attempt to control the situation.
Still, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based monitoring group, reported gunfire, arson, and isolated kidnapping incidents in Alawite-majority neighborhoods.
The Supreme Alawite Islamic Council in Syria and Abroad said in a statement that two Alawite civilians were killed and ten others were wounded in the retaliatory attacks. It held the country’s Islamist-led Interim Government responsibility for the attacks, and said that government troops backed armed Bedouins.
In addition, the council called on the United Nations and its Security Council to intervene and launch an investigation into the violence.
“The Supreme Alawite Islamic Council in Syria and Abroad holds the de facto authority fully responsible for the safety and security of civilians from the Alawite sect in these areas, and affirms its clear complicity through its silence and inability to implement the conditions imposed on it by the UN to protect minorities,” the council said.
In response to the situation, the interior authorities decided to impose a temporary curfew across the city for 24 hours, starting from 5:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. local time (1400 GMT), to prevent further escalation and facilitate security operations, according to an official source cited by Syrian state media.
Homs Health Directorate didn’t report any deaths, but said that 18 people were injured during chaos in the city, including one in a critical condition.
Later in the day, Interior Ministry spokesman Noureddine al-Baba said in a statement to state media that there is still no physical evidence to prove the crime in Zaidal was sectarian in nature.
He indicated that initial investigations showed the graffiti found at the scene was written with the intent to mislead, incite sectarian strife, and divert attention from the real perpetrator.
Syrian state media reported on November 24 that the situation in Homs city calmed down after the deployment of government troops. However, others sources said that tensions were still high and armed Bedouins were still near Alawite neighborhoods, in some cases along government troops.
The Alawites have been facing violence since the fall of the regime of former President Bashar al-Assad, whose family belongs to the community, nearly a year ago. In March, a government crackdown on an Alawite armed uprising on the coast, the heartland of the community, ended with a series of massacres that claimed the lives of more than 1,400 Alawite civilians.
Killings and forced disappearances have continued since March, albeit at a lower pace, against members of the communists on the coast, as well as in Homs and other areas in central and western Syria.
Although the government has vowed to hold people responsible for these crimes responsible and recently held a public trial for some alleged perpetrators, it continues to face criticism due to the lack of any international oversight and the simple fact that the crimes are increasing.
In addition to violence, Alawites have been largely excluded from the government structure, with no representation for the community whatsoever in the military and security forces.
Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara has so far rejected demands for decentralization from Alawites, Kurds and Druze, arguing that everyone should be integrated into the government. At the same time, he is yet to give any position of real value to anyone from a minority group.
While Sharaa has managed to subdue the Alawites by force, at least for now, he does not seem to be capable of doing the same with Kurds and Druze. The continuation of the current policies will, without a doubt, lead to a new civil war in Syria, a more brutal one with a more clear sectarian and ethnic nature.
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i never expected such dirty betrayal from suhail al hassan.
from bashar al assad, yes, and from his brother maher as well.
but suhail al hassan seemed like an honest man to me.