📰 AANES urges inclusive path on Syria’s first post-Assad anniversary

QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) commemorated on Sunday the first anniversary of the fall of the Baath regime in Syria, recalling decades of authoritarian rule and warning that the country’s transitional authorities have failed to meet the aspirations that fueled years of struggle. In a statement marking the occasion, the AANES stated Syrians endured “long decades of marginalization, repression, and the suppression of their free will,” particularly against democratic activists advocating for pluralism and political change.

The years of war, it added, exposed the mindset of the former regime, which relied on “arrests, enforced disappearances, ethnic and religious discrimination, the fragmentation of society, and the looting of the country’s resources. ” The AANES extended congratulations to the families of those killed throughout the crisis and to “all Syrians of every community,” describing the fall of the regime in December 2024 as “a long-awaited dream” and a symbol of “the victory of the people’s will. ” While calling the regime’s fall an crucial step, the AANES stressed that the harder work lies ahead: building “a democratic, free, decentralized Syria, where rights are protected, differences respected, and authoritarianism and marginalization are excluded. ” However, the administration sharply criticized the performance of the Syrian transitional administration over the past year. It stated the national dialogue process launched in early 2025 failed to include representatives from all regions and communities, while the formation of the administration and the latest parliamentary elections “did not reflect the reality or aspirations of Syrians. ” The statement condemned the “massacres committed in the coast and in Suwayda,” saying they undermined national cohesion and fueled hate speech and extremism.

Notably,   It argued that the government’s policies resembled “the practices of the Baath regime itself—exclusion of national troops, lack of transparency, unilateral decision-making, and disregard for the people’s will. ” The AANES called on all Syrian actors, along with the international community, to intensify efforts to ensure Syria becomes “a genuine platform for freedom, democracy, justice, and equality. ” It urged the transitional government to adopt an inclusive national approach, launch a comprehensive and severe national dialogue, guarantee the safe return of relocated Syrians, and implement swift mechanisms to achieve the Syrian people’s goals. Moreover,   By Jwan Shekaki