This week, Syrian leader meets with minority groups amidst rights concerns. Sunni and Shia tribes reach a peace deal in one Pakistani district.
Syrian leader meets with minority groups amidst rights concerns
Concerns for Syria’s minorities are rising. On December 31, the country’s de-facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, met with senior Christian clerics in Demascus, following demands on him to guarantee Syrian Christians’ rights. Syria’s General Command posted a statement on Telegram with photos of the meeting with Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican clerics.
This development comes after a Christmas tree was set on fire in the main square of Suqaylabiyah, a Christian-majority town, on December 25. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Islamist group which overthrew Assad, said that foreign fighters had been detained over the act, and that the tree would be repaired the next morning. After the incident, Christians protested in Damascus, marching toward churches and calling for more protection. A religious figure from HTS held up a cross to show solidarity, something that conservative Islamists usually wouldn’t do, BBC reported.
Al-Sharaa also reportedly held talks with Kurdish commanders this week. A Syrian official told AFP that al-Sharaa held “positive” talks with delegates of the Kurdish-lead Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on December 30. However, al-Sharaah told Al-Arabiya television that weapons must be “in the hands of the state alone,” and that anyone armed and qualified to join the defense ministry would be welcomed.
Meanwhile, members of Syria’s Alawite minority are also anxious about their future in the country. There have been threats against Alawites on social media, with some Syrians saying that the group should pay for supporting Assad’s regime. After December 8, when the new government took power, a government representative met with leaders of al-Qardaha, a mostly Alawite village. While the leaders said the meeting was a good start, armed men believed to belong to other rebel groups arrived at the village to steal vehicles and loot homes in the following days, New York Times reported.
It remains to be seen whether Syria’s new government will prove itself to be a promoter of minority rights.
Sunni and Shia tribes reach a peace deal in Pakistani district
In Pakistan’s conflict-stricken Kurram district, located in the country’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, an assembly of tribal elders brokered a peace deal between Sunni and Shia tribes.
The deal comes after clashes killed at least 130 people in the past few months. The violence escalated on November 21, when gunmen attacked a vehicle convoy and killed 52 people, mostly shias. On December 17, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa officials ordered tribes to give up their weapons and sign an agreement through government mediation. Provincial government spokesman Mohammed Ali Saif told The Associated Press that on January 1, a deal had been reached.
Under the deal, Saif said, the two sides agreed to dismantle their bunkers, and turn in their weapons to the government. He added that this would allow Kurram’s roads to reopen soon. Elders said that shortages of medicines at the district’s hospitals caused the deaths of at least 100 patients.
Saif wrote on X that the deal would “soon restore calm and security” and lead to “peace and development” for Kurram. The district is home to nearly 800,000 residents, a large portion of whom are Shia, although Shias are a minority in Pakistan. Kurram has experienced sectarian conflict over the years, which has been entangled with tribal rivalries.
