• D.C.
  • BXL
  • Lagos
  • Riyadh
  • Beijing
  • SG
  • D.C.
  • BXL
  • Lagos
Semafor Logo
  • Riyadh
  • Beijing
  • SG


UN urges Syria factions to avoid civil war amid humanitarian crisis

Dec 12, 2024, 9:38am EST
securityMiddle East
A photo of a crowd in Syria after the fall of Assad.
Ammar Awad/Reuters
PostEmailWhatsapp
Title icon

The News

The United Nations warned that Syria’s transition to a new regime must be “inclusive” if it is to avoid another civil war.

“The alternative doesn’t make any sense,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. “Syrians had enough divisions. It’s time for unity, and it’s time for the reestablishment of its territory.”

Former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was ousted in a swift and relatively bloodless offensive by rebels, and the head of the new transitional government promised to “guarantee the rights of all people and all sects.” But the revolution includes many separate groups and agendas.

There is hope for a peaceful handover: Assad’s Baath Party, which ruled the country for 50 years, suspended operations and said it would cede its property and funds to the new government.

AD

Israel and Turkey, however, which abut Syria, are moving troops over their respective borders in what they have said is self-defense but which locals see as a land grab.

Title icon

Know More

While many are celebrating Assad’s fall, the chaos has exacerbated the international humanitarian crisis: More than 100,000 civilians have fled to Kurdish-controlled areas along the Turkish border since the rebel uprising, overwhelming already crowded refugee camps and infrastructure, according to Human Rights Watch.

Meanwhile, the UN World Food Program said it needs $250 million in additional funding to deliver supplies to the estimated 3 million internally displaced and vulnerable people.

AD
AD