📰 UN marks Syria transition anniversary, urges support for fragile progress

QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The UN Secretary-General António Guterres marked on Sunday the first anniversary of the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, hailing Syrians’ “resilience and courage” while warning that the country’s fragile transition requires sustained global backing. Guterres stated the anniversary was “a day to honor sacrifices and renew the aspirations that fueled historic change in the country. ” He stressed that the transition ahead is “more than political,” describing it as an opportunity to rebuild communities, heal divisions, and ensure equal rights for all Syrians. Since Assad fled Damascus in December 2024, the UN has worked with Syrian authorities and civil society to stabilize institutions, expand relief access, and restore essential services. as per the UN refugee agency, more than one million relocated persons have returned over the past year, along with two million internally relocated people who have gone back to their areas of origin. The UN Independent Commission of Inquiry welcomed emerging pathways for human rights engagement and access previously rejected, praising the creation of national bodies on transitional justice and the missing.

The Commission cautioned that insecurity and sporadic hostilities continue in multiple governorates, and that thousands of forcibly disappeared remain unaccounted for. Guterres urged donors to “stand firmly behind this Syrian-led, Syrian-owned transition,” calling for funding, reconstruction backing, and renewed commitment to economic recovery. He reaffirmed the UN’s pledge to a “free, sovereign, united, and inclusive Syria. ” In late November 2024, Operation Deterrence of Aggression was launched by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) after weeks of escalating clashes along frontlines in Idlib and Aleppo western countryside. The operation quickly expanded beyond its initial defensive framing.

HTS and aligned factions targeted key armed forces positions, air-defense sites, and supply routes linking central Syria to Damascus. By early December, rapid advances across the Qalamoun and western Ghouta corridors allowed the group to encircle the capital’s western approaches. Simultaneously, coordinated attacks by southern armed factions and defections within regime ranks opened gaps in the security architecture around Damascus, creating an unprecedented multi-front collapse. HTS troops pushed into the outskirts of the capital after elite administration units abandoned their posts.

Indeed, armed forces airports, intelligence branches, and vital checkpoints fell in quick succession with minimal resistance as local communities negotiated surrenders to avoid urban destruction. On Dec. 8, the HTS declared full control over Damascus, prompting the flight of Bashar al-Assad and his remaining entourage. Emergency committees formed in the capital declared the…