Tensions Boils In Western Syria Over Killings, Rape Targeting Alawites (18+ Videos)

Illustrative image. (Syrian Arab News Agency)

The murder of four Alawite men in western Syria on September 28 escalated sectarian tensions in the region, which has been unstable since the fall of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, an Alawite himself, last December.

The four men were construction workers. They were reportedly shot while on their way back from work near their town, Jidreen, which is located in the western Hamas countryside. Alawite activists said that assailants came from the nearby Sunni town of Musa Elhawleh, with some even accusing security forces of being complicit in the crime.

The sectarian crime caused outrage among the Alawite community, especially in the western countryside of Hama where more than 21 towns announced a general strike. The crime was, however, completely ignored by the Islamist-led Interim Government. It is even unclear if an investigation was launched.

Sectarian violence against Alawites persisted since the fall of the Assad regime. It reached its highest point in March, when a series of massacres orchestrated by government forces in response to an uprising by the community claimed the lives of more than 1,400 Alawite civilians on the coast and in the western Hamas countryside.

Following the massacre, the government repeated its pledge to protect minorities, including Alawites, and launched an investigation.

However, a recent report by Human Rights Watch criticizes the government for failing to ensure accountability. It highlights a lack of transparency in investigations, impunity for senior officials, and no prosecutions for command failures despite evidence of negligence.

Since the massacres, Alawites have been killed on a near-daily basis, with the government ignoring nearly all of the crimes.

In addition to the four Alawites killed in the western Hamas countryside on September 28, two others were killed in separate attacks in the city of Homs.

The situation of Alawites in the western Hama countryside remains especially bad, however, with reports confirming that members of the community were completely displaced from several towns, or were extorted to give up rights to their farmland.

Earlier this month, an Alawite woman from the town of Hawrat Ammourin was abducted then gangraped while on her way to work. Alawite activists said that the rapists came from the nearby Sunni town of al-Asharenah. The government promised an investigation, but as usual no one was held accountable.

As Syrian Interim President Ahmad al-Shara and his senior aides were holding a series of meetings last week with foreign leaders in New York, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, hundreds of Sunni fighters from al-Asharenah, some members of government forces, stormed Hawrat Ammourin and tried to abduct the woman who was raped. The fighters claimed that they were responding to the abduction of a Sunni man by Alawite insurgents who were themselves seeking revenge for the woman.

Of course the rape case in Hawrat Ammourin was not an isolated incdent. Since the fall of the Assad regime, dozens of Alawite women have been reportedly abducted, with over 30 remain missing and many of those who returned reporting secterian-fueled sexual violence. Despite reports from the U.S. and many independent monitoring groups, the government denies that such crimes are taking place.

As for the coast, there have been fewer killings and abductions there, but that’s likely only because the region is the heartland of the Alawites who make up the vast majority of its population. Still, there have been a surge of fires there with Alawite activists holding the government reasonable, citing negligence, as well as straight up arson by security forces and military personnel.

In addition to all of these violations and crimes, Alawites have been facing some serious economic hardships as a result of mass sectarian layoffs. They also continue to be denied the chance to work in some sectors, especially when it comes to security forces and the military.

As a result of everything that happened since March, calls within the community for an uprising, even an armed revolt, have been gaining momentum.

However, a new uprising on the coast remains highly-unlikely as Alawites are now completely isolated with no regional or international allies willing to back them in any way. At the same time, the odds of reaching any understanding with the government seem to be non-existent.

In the face of this situation, sectarian tensions will likely continue to build up in western Syria until the international and regional situations change in a way that could push any of the main players to back the Alawites. But even this is not guaranteed to happen any time soon. The vast majority of 2-3 million Aalwites living in Syria today could end up fleeing the country within a few years.

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